Glass Hearts
by Laurenio567
Summary: Rey knows that her dreams must mean something. Are they foretelling her fate? Or warning her about someone else's? She has a feeling that there is more to her dream than she knows. And she is determined to find out what it is before it becomes her fate. Kylo Ren/Rey post-TFA spoilers!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Was it all supposed to mean something, these visions that plagued her every moment? His dark, wavy hair. His deep voice. She could feel what he felt. She breathed the air he did, regardless of the miles between them. She could never shake his presence. And it was annoying her to DEATH.

"Rey." Master Luke's voice snapped her back to attention. "Do I have to ask you again?"

"I'm sorry, Master." She bowed her head, the frustration seeping onto her face, her eyebrows drawing together.

"Repeat what I asked you to do." He instructed and Rey felt her cheeks heating up. She couldn't for the life of her remember what he had been saying for the past five minutes. She'd been picturing…him.

"Forgive me, Master, I can't." she mumbled quietly and nudged a stone with her foot. She looked up to see Luke staring out at the sea, the view from the top of the island vast and expansive.

"I've sensed great unrest in you, child, ever since you have arrived. It only grows worse. You lack focus."

"I know." She replied quickly. He looked back at her when she said this. His eyes were full of concern.

"The Force cannot so easily be used when one's mind is full and distracted."

"So I need to empty my mind and focus?" she asked, clarifying his instruction.

"I am not giving you instruction." He stopped her, as if reading her mind. "I am explaining why I doubt your ability to continue with your training."

"What?" Rey snapped to attention at that. "Of course I can train! You've seen me focus! Master," she walked towards him a few steps and motioned to the lightsaber sitting on a rock next to him, "you saw me on the ice planet. I fought hard and well."

"Humble yourself!" he ordered firmly and Rey silenced her words. "We will continue tomorrow. You are done for today."

"Master-"

"Done." He put his hand up and for a moment she thought she felt a pushing at her stomach, trying to ease her away from him and back towards the hut that he and she shared now. But she would have none of it. She reached down and snatched up her staff and jogged off down the steps, retreating down to the shores where the island met the sea to clear her mind. Working with Luke had been a series of ups and downs. At first she had felt a simple connection with him, an understanding between them that she thought would bode well for their future of training. But as the weeks went on, she had begun to lose focus and lose trust in his techniques. He was so old school. Had he forgotten what the real world was like? She hadn't even touched the lightsaber since her fight with….she stopped her thoughts there. She was trying to keep the masked figure out of her mind. She reached the shore, a bit out of breath, but still in better shape after her weeks of training. She set her staff on the last steps and began her stroll along the shore, the course rocks and shells crunching under her boots. She ran her fingertips along the still bay water and carved bits out of the straight cliff that rose out of the shore. The days were always the same. Early mornings, hard training, small lunch, more training, and then hours of time to think. But she didn't want to think. She wanted to fight.

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Kylo Ren hated it. Everywhere he turned he saw her. Everywhere he looked, she was there. Everything reminded him of her, everything screamed her presence and shouted her aura. He could never lose her, no matter what he did. He could feel her heart beat at the intense training. He could share her sleeplessness at night. He felt her head spin with fatigue after bouts of trying mind tricks of her own. And he hated it.

"Leave me alone." He heard her murmur, her voice far off, almost as if she were underwater.

"I try." Was his reply, not knowing whether she would hear or not, not aware if their force bond was that strong. She was still young and inexperienced.

"Not hard enough." Her mind waves pulsed at his skull. She had replied. He closed his eyes, focusing on her essence, and saw her, sitting on the rocky beaches. She was alone, the wind ripping at her face, her eyes vacant. She hadn't heard him. She was talking to nothing. It had been his imagination.

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"Leave me alone." She spoke to the waves. She knew he would not hear, asked herself what her point was in saying it. She had no good reason other than just to take another try at calming her nerves. It did not work. Instead, she imagined his deep, dark voice replying with his cold, emotionless tone,

"I try." She sighed at the words. She hated him for it. He ruined her training, got in her way. While he went about his business, he had no idea that he was constantly blocking her, making things difficult. He would never know the troubles he caused her.

"Not hard enough." She sighed to herself and continued to watch the waves race each other to the shore. She was scared she would never be fully rid of Kylo Ren.

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He knew she was always going to be a part of him. He felt the rage rising in his chest. He drew his lightsaber and turned to the first thing he could see. That just so happened to be his desk. The pile of melted metal was not a pleasant smell. He growled under his breath and stepped out into the hall and signaled a storm trooper to his side.

"Maintenance." He growled and stalked off. It was time he worked out.

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"Padme." Rey breathed suddenly. She sat up in a cold sweat. Her eyes adjusted to the light and she saw Luke staring at her in concern. She was on her mat in the hut, drenched in sweat, her blankets thrown off and her stomach tied in knots. She couldn't breathe.

"Drink this." Luke quickly handed her a cup full of a liquid that she didn't care enough to identify, though the lingering burning in her throat suggested that it might have been alcohol. She coughed lightly and wiped her mouth and tried to slow her breaths. Luke took the cup from her and set it on the table behind him. "What did you see?"

"It…" Rey thought back to the woman standing in her room, fist to mouth, crying for a husband that was turned, a husband she had lost. Not to death, that would be better than this. She had lost him to the dark side. "It was nothing." She lied. She saw the knowing look in Luke's eyes. She had a suspicion that Luke knew the girl she was dreaming of.

"Do not dwell too much on your dreams. Often their meanings are simple and merely for a correction of character." He reassured her as he stood to take the cup away. "You should try to get a few more hours of sleep."

"I think I'll just stay up now." She sighed and tried to roll the stiffness out of her neck and back.

"You are scared to sleep." A whispering voice in the wind brushed her earlobe and she shivered. "You know you will see me." She jumped up and grabbed her staff. She recognized that voice. She always would. She could not escape it.

"I'll make breakfast then, I suppose." Luke offered as he began to move about the kitchen.

"But you need your sleep." Rey protested.

"I rarely sleep." Luke countered quietly as he laid two bowls out on the small table that sat low to the ground.

"You see things too?" Rey asked as she seated herself at the table. He sighed heavily as he sat down with her and filled both bowls with steaming rice.

"It is unusual to go a night without a vision." He admitted. "That is a common pattern for many of us who possess the Force."

"What are your visions?" she asked quietly, hoping she wasn't pushing too much into his personal thoughts.

"That is not of consequence." He replied and immediately she felt his mental barriers go up, ready to block out her prying mind. She wouldn't have tried to look into his dreams anyways, she thought sullenly. She took a few bites of the rice, then decided to voice what had been eating at her mind for some time now.

"Every night I dream of a girl." She divulged. Luke looked up intently. "She is very beautiful. Yet she is always unhappy in the dream. She is always crying."

"I see." Luke sat stiffly. "What does she look like?"

"She has brown hair, very curly. She is short, but stately." Rey tried her best to remember the girl. "Everything gets fuzzy after I wake up."

"You shouted a name earlier, when you first awoke. What was it?" Luke asked carefully, and Rey could tell he was on edge.

"Oh." Rey remembered yelling, but suddenly the name escaped her. "I can't remember now." She sighed in frustration and rubbed her forehead. Luke seemed to relax.

"It is probably not important. Dreams sometimes persist with dire messages. But some come with the Force, dreams that we must live with and accept for just what they are. Dreams." Luke stood up and took the two bowls away.

"You said dire messages?" Rey asked as she dusted some caked mud off of her staff.

"Some of the most important signs for a Jeddi come in his or her dreams." Luke stated. Rey pondered that. What if the crying girl was important? But how could she be? She had nothing to do with Rey. No connection. Then Rey startled herself, the images in the dream becoming clear.

"Master!" Rey stopped Luke as he had dawned his cape and was preparing to step out.

"Yes, Padawan?" Luke turned to look back at the girl.

"I remembered one other thing." Rey offered, her voice slowly quieting. "The girl," Luke gripped his staff tighter, "she was pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

He could feel her heart pounding as she thundered up the steps, one foot in front of the other, all thoughts gone from her mind. He could feel her relief at not thinking of anything, nothing mattering but the steps in front of her, the pace she ran. He knew the feeling of that relief. Every time thoughts of her scattered across his mind, he retreated to the training room, the echoing cavernous metal room where he turned his attention to anything but her. The way her body curved. The way her lips turned up at the corners. How light she had been in his arms as he carried her onto his ship. He clicked his lightsaber on and turned to look for something else to destroy.

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"Faster." She heard Luke's voice whispering into her mind. He was at the top of the stairs, sitting at the hut. She had gotten used to the intense training, but that did not make it easier. She had not realized that the training would involve running up and down the hundreds of steps that led up and down the island, multiple times. The worst was that Luke would never tell her how much she had to do. She always found running easier if she had a goal. But each day was different. Some days he would have her run up and down only once, another day it would be ten times. Today she had already done seven. She ignored the sweat as it dripped down from her hair and went rolling down her chest.

"Water." She breathed when she reached the top and saw Luke waiting expectantly.

"You will not have water when you are running from the First Order." He replied calmly and motioned for her to continue. "Do not stop again until I say to, young Padawan." She growled low in her throat and turned back down the stairs. She wanted to fight, wanted to wield the beautiful crackling sword of the Jeddi. Not run flights of stairs to get in shape. Though she did admit that she would no longer feel self-conscious about her body. She would probably be the most fit girl on the surrounding six planets. Not that she had been self-conscious before, just….her mind drifted to Kylo's dark eyes drifting over her as she lay restrained in the interrogation room.

"Stop." She growled to him, making herself feel better as she said the words into space, not knowing why she constantly felt obligated to speak him away. As if he could hear her.

"You stop." The voice rang so clearly in her head that her foot stumbled on the sixty-third step and she went tumbling. She put her hands out, but it was too late. She dove down onto the concrete and her skin skidded crudely on the rough rock. She rolled down two more flights until she finally slowed enough to put her hands out and grab fistfuls of the mountain dirt from the steep hills. She rolled to a stop, the upper half of her body on the steps, the lower sagging limply onto the hills.

"Don't move." Luke materialized next to her. Rey jumped.

"How did you? You were just-"

"I said don't move." Luke ordered and Rey kept still. Then she saw the problem. A deep gouge in her arm made her stomach turn.

"That's a lot of blood." She mumbled.

"It'll heal." Luke replied quietly as he assessed the injury and slowly helped her to her feet. "I can stitch it up back at the hut." He began to guide her back up the steps, his silence making her suspicious. He was thinking about why she had fallen. She knew it.

"Clumsy." She muttered, making sure Luke heard, just to ease his suspicion away from anything other than human error.

"Mm." he barely acknowledged her statement.

"Clumsy?" the deep voice whispered to her again. "The Jeddi do not lie." Anger surged through her veins.

"You are not a Jeddi!" she bit back, as harshly as she could in her mind. "So do not lecture me on how to act like one! That is not your job!" she waited. Silence. She sighed, her weariness catching up with her. She needed a good night's rest. Though she doubted should would get that.

"You were not focused." Luke broke the silence and her head snapped back to look at him. "I warned you about focusing."

"I was doing just fine." She retorted.

"You could have fallen off the cliffs." He responded and pulled her harshly up the steps. When she hissed through her teeth at his firm grip on the wound, he loosened his hands and slowed his walk. "Do not worry me again, Padawan." His voice was softer. She saw his shoulders begin to relax. She had scared him.

"I'm sorry, Master." She ducked her head. "I won't do it again."

"Do not let your mind wander, and it will not happen again." He instructed. "Wandering minds are a dangerous thing. That is the secret of the Jeddi. They focus on one thing at a time, intense focus into what they are doing, no distractions. You will have to work harder than those before you."

"Why?" Rey asked defiantly.

"Those who are distracted by the things, can be distracted by the big ones." Luke sighed, sounding very tired.

"You mean the dark side," Rey read his eyes. "Master, that will not happen."

"I trust you," he sighed as the ground leveled out at the hut, "it's him that I don't trust." It came out as a whisper. Rey inhaled sharply at this. Did Luke know about Kylo Ren constantly appearing in her thoughts? She had done her best to keep up her mind barriers with Luke, but maybe she wasn't trying hard enough.

"What was that?" Rey asked.

"Nothing." Luke replied sharply and led her into the hut.

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Kylo Ren sucked in his breath as he watched the girl tumble and her arm rip open. That would leave a scar for sure. He turned away and closed his eyes tightly. He had to stop watching her, hanging on her words. She was trying to focus on her life. He needed to focus on his. And she was of no consequence to his life. None at all. Or so he had convinced himself.

"Stop." The girl's voice rang in his head. This time she had heard him. He had made sure she would.

"You stop." He had replied harshly, his pent up anger at her releasing in those two words. And then she had stumbled. In her mind, feet, and heart. He had felt it. She had not expected a reply. But he had given her one. Whether she wanted it or not. She acted like he was the one creeping through her thoughts, plaguing her mind, when in actuality, it was she that would not get out of his. She needed to be taught a thing or two about force bonds, which he assumed they possessed as the days moved on. Lesson one: it is two way, not one way.

"Selfish girl." He muttered to himself as he made his way to his room and started the water for a shower in the small commode off his room. "She realizes nothing. Ignorant." The insults rolled from his mouth, no guilt with them whatsoever. Though he knew that the only reason he kept the words tumbling was to make himself forget that he thrived on her dancing through his mind. He lived off of it. It made his skin crawl. He had never been so dependent on another person in years. He shouldn't be dependent on her. Why would he need her? Her of all people? "Peace!" he cried to the shower wall. "I just want peace!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Rey's breath hissed through her teeth as Luke applied a solvent to her freshly stitched arm. The stitches actually hadn't hurt too terribly, but now that her adrenaline was wearing off, the arm was already starting to bruise and her body was beginning to feel all the other places she had hurt when she had fallen.

"Any other cuts?" Luke asked her as he gently wrapped her arm.

"Nothing too bad."

"Anything sprained?" Luke patted her arm and watched her grimace. She rolled her ankles and then her shoulders and her neck.

"Just sore I think." She replied.

"That could have been much worse. You should be grateful." Luke stated solemnly as he got up and began to put his medical tools away. "You need to be more careful in the future."

"I was being careful." Rey muttered under her breath. "It wasn't even my fault."

"You are in control of your own legs." Luke spoke up from the faucet in the hut. Rey frowned. Sometimes it was just plain awful to have a teacher that could read her mind and hear every word she breathed.

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Kylo Ren's arm stung. He growled in frustration as he bench pressed weights for the second time that day. Part of being strong enough to continue his grandfather's plans was being strong in body and strong in mind. Stupid girl. Because of her clumsiness now his arm was stinging as much as hers. And there was just nothing he could do. The sweat rolled down his body, his chest glimmering under the harsh lights of the training room. He gasped and heaved the weights back up into their rack and slowly eased himself to sit up.

"Focus." He breathed to himself. "She's only a scavenger. Just a girl." But even as he continuously drilled these thoughts into his mind, he knew that his heart would never believe that she was just a girl. Rey was so much more than that. And eventually he would have to confront that thought.

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Rey's chest rose and fell gently as she laid on her mat, staring up at the ceiling as the sun set. Luke had gone out walking after she had retired to bed. She had been left in the silence, left to herself and she was pleased. No nagging thoughts of anything or…any one particular person. But just as she thought this, her mind went black and her breath hitched. Not again. Visions of him flashed across her mind: the snow, the cold, his black cloak blowing in the wind, his dark eyes reading her face, digging into her soul, branding himself on her heart. She saw him in a bright room, pacing the long floor, shirt off, chest shining with sweat. Her heart rate picked up. She didn't know why, and didn't want to know. His head was down, black hair hanging in his face. His shoulders were broad and his arms strong and muscular. She could feel the heat radiating from him. He turned back to her direction and she let out a small whimper as the span of his chest came into her view. His head jerked up. His eyes scanned the room. She stopped breathing. He had heard that. She knew he had.

"What are you doing here?" his booming voice rang out accusingly, bouncing off the metal walls.

"I fell asleep." She replied quietly, giving up her effort to pretend she had not been watching him in her thoughts. She didn't know how to turn off the transaction. If there really was an off switch, she really hoped she could find it soon.

"Then wake up." He replied coldly.

"Can you see me?" she asked, voice growing bolder.

"I always see you." He muttered. Then he trained his eyes back to her. "What was that sound you made?" Rey begged for the blush she felt coming to not show on her cheeks. Unfortunately, she saw that a smug smirk was spreading across his face. She would never admit that that smirk made her envision things that sent her heart soaring.

"My arm hurts." She thought quickly. She watched as his hands went instantly to a bright red mark on his arm, same as hers. Her eyes widened. "Your arm?" her voice faltered, her boldness shrinking again. She didn't know what was coming over her. It was like her body had a mind of its own. Her legs were moving before she could stop them as she crossed the room to him. He had frozen, watching her warily as she came to him. "That looks like…" her voice faded as she looked at his arm and then back at hers.

"It's nothing." He mumbled and turned away from her. She let her eyes wander over his shoulders, down his arms. What would it feel like for those arms to hold her, wrap around her back, those long fingers to-

"Get out of my head." She looked up to see his eyes trained on her, staring at her intently.

"I was in your head?" he looked all too pleased with himself. She felt the anger bubbling up inside of her, watching that grin appear on his face. "Your master should really teach you to guard your mind better."

"You don't know half of what's in my mind." She snapped back at him. He raised his eyebrows.

"Now I'm curious." He crossed his arms and looked at her.

"You almost killed me today." Rey changed the subject, deciding to accuse him and take advantage of this awful predicament. She continued to mentally comfort herself with the fact that this was only a dream.

"I would kill you now if I had my lightsaber." He replied confidently.

"If I didn't kill you first." She replied haughtily.

"No matter how hard you train, you will never be a match for me." He stated. Then they both stood in silence. She thought about the underlying meaning in those words. Had he known what he was saying? She watched as the realization of what he had said, said about her being his match, crossed his face. She saw the fire flare in his eyes. "Your presence is infuriating." He burst. "Leave me at once!" he flicked his wrist and suddenly her vision was flooded with light as the surroundings of the hut cleared back into her eyes. She sat in a hurry, then moaned in pain as her body protested. She was definitely covered in bruises. It was completely dark out now and she heard the soft sounds of Luke's breathing from the other side of the hut. She must not have too much noise of he would be beside her again with something to drink and reading her mind. She was glad he wasn't here to ask about this dream.

"It wasn't a dream." His whispering voice chilled her to the bone. She chose to ignore it, praying that it was only her imagination. She laid back down, scared to go to sleep, and scared to stay awake. She knew this feeling well. And somewhere, planets away, she knew he was experiencing the same feeling. She could feel it. However, this was not a comfort to her. The fact that she knew this was enough to drive her insane. She decided that sleep was more appealing than dealing with her thoughts and she bravely let herself succumb to the necessity of slumber once more….

 _It was the crying woman again. No. Not this. The last time this disturbing dream had woken her, she'd been distracted and restless for days. But there was the girl, fist to mouth, sobbing. Rey wanted to turn and run, but it was as if there was a great chasm of nothing behind her, no option but to stay and look at the girl. Her hair was curly and a lightish brown in color. Her robe was bulging at the stomach, a pregnant stomach if Rey was not mistaken. She looked at the window behind the girl. They were in a city. Speeders flew by in all shapes and sizes. Where were they and who was this? Immediately Rey's vision blacked and returned, but this time in a different setting, in a long colonnade, the girl again, this time waiting anxiously, hands clasped tightly together. Rey watched to see who or what the girl was expecting. The woman was much prettier when she wasn't crying, Rey observed realistically. Her hair was up in two buns on either side of her head, her robes much larger and wider this time, hiding the apparent pregnancy that had been so obvious before._

 _And then a man was running to her, she was lifting her arms to him as they embraced as though they had been apart for decades and would never let go again. Rey watched as he gently lowered her._

 _"Oh, Anakin." The girl whispered to his lips and they shared a tender kiss. Rey watched, mesmerized. She had never seen such a display of love before. On Jakku, no one had ever bothered themselves to love. There was only enough time to survive. The two were speaking now so she refocused on what they were saying._

 _"Are you alright?" the man asked, hands running over her arms and face. "You're trembling." He looked intently at the shaking girl. "What's going on?"_

 _"Something wonderful has happened." She looked at him hopefully, and Rey could almost feel the tension in the air. She could feel the girl's hope, hoping that the man, this Anakin, would be ok with what she was about to say. "Anny, I'm pregnant." Rey's breath caught in her throat._

 _"That's…that's wonderful." Anakin replied breathlessly. Rey watched in concern. A foreboding feeling was beginning to wrap its clutches on her. Who were these people? And why did she feel she knew them? The sound of their voices were drowned out by her own thoughts ringing loudly in her ears. What did it all mean? Here, the girl was happy? Was this before or after Rey had seen her crying? Maybe the girl had been crying because she was afraid or she missed her husband. But that didn't seem right to Rey. She had been crying in pain. As if her heart were breaking, her life shattered. No, no she had been crying over something much more important. Suddenly, her visions flashed, a man stalking in a black robe, hooded face._

 _"This is a happy moment." Anakin's voice still talking to the girl. The vision of the figure flashed to the girl, writhing in pain on a table, sweat and tears mixing on her face. Rey felt an intense fear rising in her throat. Wake up! She had to wake up! She heard the girl's screams in pain._

 _"There's good in him." The girl's weak voice whispered. "I know there's…."_

 _"The happiest moment of my life." Rey turned and ran, her legs in slow motion, like she was stuck in jelly, the darkness slowly swallowing her as she fell into a chasm of nothing._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Luke knew the girl was having dreams. He tried to tell himself that they meant nothing, that it was of no consequence. But as the days went by, the girl began to lose focus. She began to lose her appetite, grow thin and weak. He heard her up at all hours of the night, pacing the hut or walking in the moonlight, trying to practice what she had learned that day. Her eyes were never trained on him, always looking off at a nonexistent figure, unfocused and pupils dilated. He was beginning to wonder if she was sick.

"Rey." He spoke up and the girl didn't acknowledge him. She continued to stare out at the ocean, sitting on the luscious grass, hair being blown every direction by the misty breeze. "Rey." He used more force and she slowly turned her head to look at him.

"Master?" she relied quietly.

"We need to talk." He walked over gently and sat down next to her. He didn't know where to start, how to start. He had never had to have such deep discussions with a student, much less a girl before. "You are not well." He settled for bringing it to her attention first.

"I'm tired." Her eyes blinked slowly, lingering in the work it took to keep them open.

"I know." Luke responded and placed a hand on her arm, careful to avoid the stitching. "But you should not be. You go to sleep at healthy times."

"I guess I do not know then." She replied, face averted from him.

"You do know." He brought his hand up and touched her face. "You are still having the dreams."

"You promised not to read my thoughts." She whispered back in defiance. "You promised me my privacy."

"I did not need to read your thoughts to see the fatigue in your face, Padawan." He explained. "I hear you up at night. I see the fear in your eyes. You need to tell me what you see."

"I don't need to tell you anything." She stood up abruptly, arms crossed over her stomach, as if to protect herself from his prying questions.

"I am your master and you will listen to me!" he stopped her cold, standing up to remind her the good half foot in height he had on her. "I know what's best for you. I will not see you so distracted any longer. It is not healthy, it is not safe. You will tell me what you see, now." He watched as the command sunk in, no mind tricks, just the fact that she knew he was in charge and that he knew best.

"It's always the girl." She replied quietly.

"The weeping girl." Luke clarified and Rey nodded slightly. "Is she always sad?"

"Not anymore." Rey responded and looked out at the sky as if she might find her answers there. "Now there's a mix. Sometimes, she's with a boy. They are happy together. But I always feel scared when I see him. Like something isn't quite right. I believe they are married. She told him she was pregnant."

"Does the boy have a name?" Luke felt a dark, pressing fear building in his chest. He had a few ideas of who she could be dreaming of.

"Oh I heard it once. The first night I dreamt of him. Oh what was it?" Rey cried in frustration. "I had never heard it before. She had a nickname for him. Like a girl's name, but she still called him it. And he didn't protest." She sighed and licked her chapped lips. "And then sometimes I see her on a table, in pain. And the boy isn't there. And then I see him, at least I think it's him. He has a hood. His eyes are dark, shadows all across his face, as if he is possessed by…an awful idea. I've seen that look before in…." her voice trailed off.

"In whom?" Luke prodded. "Where have you seen it before?"

"In someone else's eyes. So familiar." She was talking to herself. Shaking her head. "Dark. So dark. Evil. And power hungry."

"Power hungry." Luke breathed.

"Yes. And determined. So determined to finish what they had set out to do. I know that look. It's in his eyes."

"Whose eyes?" Luke wanted to grab the girl and shake her to death.

"Kylo Ren's." she choked on his name, months since she'd spoken it. She felt the wind whip harshly at her face, dark clouds blocking the sun. She had finally said his name, and her chest was stirring in a tempest.

"I see." Luke's voice shook. "And you can't remember the man's name?"

"It must not be so important if I can't remember. It's just, every time I see him, I get this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. He looks like someone I know so well. I just can't figure out who…" her eyes rested on Luke and her voice fell away. A strangled cry came from her mouth and her hands flew to her chest. She felt the world spinning. "It's you!" she cried. "I see your eyes!"

"Rey." He spoke, head down.

"Who is it?" she cried. "Who is that man? I know that face! So much like yours!" she was gasping for air. "It's him, isn't it? It's Darth Vader!"

"Anakin Skywalker," Luke replied coldly.

"Anakin." Rey processed the word. "Anny." She whispered. "She called him Anny."

"Padme did." Luke replied and Rey's head shot back to him.

"Padme."

"The name you screamed the first night you saw her." Luke reminded.

"She was pregnant with you! You and Leia! Oh, God, he's your father!"

"I thought you knew…" Luke's voice trailed off. "I thought he had told you…"

"Who?! Kylo Ren? His grandfather was Darth Vader! He's been ruined, polluted by that man! His mind is infected with evil thoughts! And it's all because of your father!"

"Rey, you must-"

"She died, didn't she?!" Rey thought suddenly of Padme. "I saw her die in the dreams. I saw her pain. Look what he did to her!"

"I am aware of the suffering he caused." Luke snapped harshly and Rey quieted herself. She looked at the man standing across from her. Suddenly he looked very old, so tired, and…haunted. He had known Darth Vader. He had fought him, been his son. She didn't need to tell him what an awful man Anakin was. Luke already knew.

"And I dream of them." The wind carried her tormented words through the air. "They haunt me, Padme, she does. She looks at me, I can swear I see her pleading with me…warning me."

"That is impossible." Luke turned and began to stalk back to the hut. "We will speak on this no more."

"But you brought it up!" Rey cried and ran after him. "You wanted to know. Now you know. And now help me find out what it all means! You're my teacher!"

"I am nobody!" Luke wheeled on her and she immediately backed off two paces. "I am the son with a murderer as a father. I have no mother. I disappointed my sister constantly. And then, my one chance to be like him, like my faithful teacher Obi Wan, I send my sister and best friend's son to the dark side. I will not let it happen again with you!"

"Of course you won't!" Rey began.

"He said that too, Ben Solo." As soon as he spoke the name he put a hand to his head and grimaced. "I shall call you by the name you were given, what your mother called you at your birth." Luke growled to the sky in response to a comment Rey had not heard.

"I am not Ben Solo." Rey reminded him and his eyes drifted back to her sadly.

"No, but the connection between you two worries me. He has influence over you, I do not deny it and neither should you."

"I have influence over him as well." She replied, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

"He is more experienced than you. I regret to say that I taught him well. Too well."

"That's why you won't teach me." Rey let the words slip before she could stop them.

"What do you mean?" his eyebrows drew together. "Ungrateful girl, I've taught you much!"

"Nothing with the Force! Nothing with a lightsaber! And it's because you're scared! You won't trust me! You're scared I'll turn out like him!" she cried, immediately feeling the sting of defense at how little trust he had in her.

"Then what do your dreams mean! That time period is not one I want to repeat. There was much suffering at the time of my father and mother."

"And you believe there to be a connection between your family and me?" she asked carefully, suddenly growing quiet, reading the apprehension in his eyes. "You're trying to keep me from following through on whatever Padme is trying to tell us."

"Padme," Luke glossed over her name, "is not trying to tell you anything. You must stop taking it so seriously."

"But I _feel_ it." Rey protested. "I feel her telling me."

"There is nothing in common between you and Padme." Luke ended firmly. "I am going out. You can make your own meal. Keep the fire going." He ordered and after grabbing his thicker cloak, he turned off down the steps of the island, his long staff helping him down the stairs.

"He's got his own demons to fight." Rey though to herself. "And I've got mine." She sighed as she stood in the doorway of the hut, watching storm clouds roll in, the waves grow larger, and the daytime slowly slip away. "I know you're trying to tell me something." Rey whispered to the growing darkness. "Luke is wrong. There is a connection between you and I. I feel it. He will not help me. So I will help myself." She spoke strongly, and she turned and let the hut welcome her into its warmth.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

He couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. He watched Rey move through the woods, swift, light feet planting ever so suddenly on a rock, a leaf, a rock again. She had her staff in hand, her arms bare, dressed in a similar outfit that she had been wearing in their last encounter. He watched mesmerized as she jumped quickly, catching a tree branch in her hand and swinging herself up into the giant green beast. She stopped to catch her breath and he could feel the endorphins pumping through her blood, the freshness of the air clearing her mind.

"So much nicer than Jakku." She thought to herself. She had already gotten used to the climate on the island almost immediately after stepping foot on it. It was the fine medium between Jakku and the harsh ice planet that she had fought on to win her freedom from Kylo Ren. She shivered at the thought and trained her eyes up the tree, pondering the best way up.

Kylo watched as she readied herself and then jumped from one branch to the other, movements flawless and smooth. She was getting much stronger, he begrudgingly admitted to himself. She summited the tree within the minute and perched herself on the most stable branch she could find. A gently sea breeze wisped a few stray hairs around her face and for some reason that was one of the most endearing things about watching her.

"That girl." He muttered under his breath. He closed his eyes and tried for the life of him to think of anything but her. It wasn't working. It never did.

"You and I, we're alike somehow." He heard her soft voice speak to the wind. "I don't know how yet, but we are. I'll find out." He listened to her voice, closed his eyes and let it sink into his skin like music.

"You found out." He let the words slip from his mind, across the barrier before he could stop them. He saw her head jerk up, her hands tighten instinctively around the tree trunk. All the peacefulness she had been encompassing was gone.

"Found out what?" her voice was hard and passive. Emotionless.

"Darth Vader was much closer to us than you think." He replied casually, deciding to stick to the conversation, rattle her, see how much she knew. Snoke always told him to know his enemies.

"I do not speak on that matter." Her head was down as she spoke, sounding exactly as Ren remembered Luke sounding. He didn't know whether to laugh at how much she sounded like his former master, or to be annoyed at the connection between them.

"Your master has rubbed off on you." He chuckled aimlessly, a menacing chuckle.

"His name is Luke, and I believe you used to call him 'Uncle'." She snapped at him, eyes crackling. The fire in her eyes livened him, so he continued.

"I will overlook that last comment." Kylo waved away her words. "So now you see. Your master is not better than the rest of them. Son of a fallen man. Your master will only lead you down a path you do not want to go. He is too afraid, too lost in his past to teach you correctly. You will never progress."

"That is not true." She countered almost immediately. "You see I have gotten stronger. You were acknowledging it before you spoke." She read his thoughts and he dropped his head and cursed under his breath. She had gotten stronger in the mind too. So she had sensed his presence before he had even spoken. He she sensed his presence before?

"Your arm is healing nicely." He changed the subject. She glanced down at the scar from where the stitches had been removed a few days ago. "But it will leave a scar."

"I am not foreign to blemishes." She replied coldly, voice aloof.

"Neither am I." he retorted and the vision of the same scar flashed across her mind, his arm similarly marked. "You should remember the next time you decide to jump off a cliff that you hurt more than just yourself."

"Then I'll make sure to bruise myself as much as possible in my next fall." She hissed.

"Well you've calmed down." He snickered. "Always were too feisty for my liking."

"Whether you like me or not, I'm here."

"Trust me, I know." He replied, voice growing serious. Then their minds were left to the silence. Rey continued to watch the sea from her tree view, Kylo Ren sat and watched the Stormtroopers practice technique from his observatory deck. The connection was still strong, but neither had anything to say to the other. Until Rey suddenly remembered her mission.

"Did you know about Luke's past?" she asked suddenly, startling Kylo slightly.

"You are curious about Padme." He saved her the secrecy. He saw her frown and laughed to himself at the way her brows drew together. He imagined that even if he couldn't read her thoughts, she could never keep a secret.

"Yes." She admitted.

"I am your enemy. Yet you are asking for help?" he was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected her to be this desperate.

"Not help, information." She corrected him. "Yes you are my enemy, but you have access to files, archives, books. I want to know what you know about Padme."

"What makes you think I'd help you?" he challenged.

"Just what I thought." She growled. "Forget I asked."

"A waste of time anyways. I only know the trivial details." Kylo rolled his eyes. "Things General Organa would tell me, pictures I'd see."

"Did you really just call your mother General Organa?" Rey scoffed. "You're lower than I thought."

"That's saying quite a lot."

"I'm serious." She bit back.

"Like I said," he chose to dismiss her harsh words, feared what the guilt of them might leave him feeling, "I don't know why she's in your dreams."

"You didn't say that!" Rey cried in alarm. "How did you know about the dreams?"

"How can I not?" he replied in defense. "I feel everything you feel! Just like you feel everything I feel! I felt what you felt when you'd sleep. I saw the dreams."

"Stay out of my head." She threatened but he only sighed.

"I'd like you to do the same. But unfortunately neither of us is going to get what we want."

"You sound like you're coming to terms with this much faster than I am." She narrowed her eyes.

"Denial is a powerful thing." He replied. "It works for me."

"Denial is a cowardly thing. Doesn't surprise me that that is your fallback. I knew you were weak the minute I saw the mask. It's your way to hide." He watched her stand up on the branch, her chest rising and falling, words building in her throat, dying to spill out. "I knew it the minute I saw that face. I saw your eyes. At first, I thought that a handsome face like that couldn't be that evil."

"Handsome?" Kylo smirked and watched the frustration spill into her body.

"But you were evil! You are evil! And it's all a mask! Because you're scared of who you really are when you aren't trying to kill someone! Just my big question is, why is it me now? I never did a thing to you!" she cried.

"You are just like me."

"Take that back!" she growled.

"It is true. Your master sees it too, fears it. We are alike, Rey, you and I. You are powerful as I am. You are a force to be reckoned with. Sadly for you, I do not want to have to reckon with you in the future. It is nothing personal."

"You'd like to think it's not personal." She muttered.

"Oh is it? Enlighten me." He ordered.

"You had multiple chances to kill me. You didn't. Why?" she whispered the last word. But he heard it as if she had screamed it straight into his ear. The question he had feared she might ask. Feared because he himself didn't know the answer. The stood in silence, captivated by their own thoughts. Or was it really their own thoughts? Was every single one of their thoughts shared now? "I will be ready." Rey broke the silence, passing over the question she had asked. "The next time I see you, only one of us will walk away."

"It has to be that way. I'm surprised you've accepted that so easily." He raised his eyebrows.

"By the time we meet again, I shall have accepted it and be ready to take you down. It is the only way." She replied, keeping her voice stable, lacking emotion, though he swore he heard the uncertainty hiding behind her eyes.

"I'm sure you will be a worthy opponent. It will be pleasing to hand you over to Lord Snoke and see what he does with you. You could be such a strong force to the Dark Side." He shook his head. "Why postpone it?"

"Maybe I'm giving you time." She offered and with that she jumped from the tree, falling quietly back to the ground, at the last minute reaching out and grabbing a vine that hung nearby and swinging once around the trunk before landing back on the forest floor.

"Time for what." He asked curiously.

"You know." She sighed. "There's good in you."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"You are strong to go back." Rey praised her master as they quietly packed the few belongings they had together. "I know you do not want to go."

"My sister has been requesting my presence for a long while now. The First Order is gathering strength. I know. It is for a short time, but I agreed to go to the base, and now I shall keep my word and go." He explained gravely. "No matter the shame of it."

"Shame?" Rey frowned. "You are a hero. The legends I would hear of you when I was on Jakku…"

"Legends are a warped reality. People tell what others want to hear. No one wants to hear a story about a once-strong Jedi that saved the Resistance and was a faithful brother and warrior, then slowly faded and trained the now powerful leader of the First Order. That is not a happy tale. We must not fool ourselves, Padawan. My time of accepting praises is over. It is now an era of facing consequences for what I let happen."

"But it wasn't your fault." She protested, her heart breaking for the man that had tried so hard with the boy that now would be the death of them all. "How could you have possibly known?"

"I knew there was too much of his grandfather in him. Even Leia saw it. It was only a matter of time." He sighed, his mind clouded with memories.

"You not only mourn the rising of a new threat, you mourn the loss of Ben Solo." Rey read his thoughts. Instead of protesting, Luke merely closed up his pouch and looked at her.

"Ben Solo was one of my dearest friends. Headstrong like his father, but always so attentive and caring like his mother. He was a lovely person."

"I'm sad I was not able to know him." Rey replied, because she felt it was a good thing to say at the time.

"No." Luke shook his head. "I'm glad you didn't meet when you were young."

"Why is that?" Rey asked as he stepped outside, she following behind him dutifully.

"When two are young, future still unclear, it is easy to form bonds that cannot be broken even when terrible things happen." She saw his eyes wander over the horizon of the cloudy day. She felt there was a meaning behind those words, but she had not the time to think about it.

"I believe bonds are forming between he and I even now." Rey admitted aloud, unusual to her personality.

"I am aware of this. I am also aware that you have been trying your best to focus. That takes much perseverance. I am proud of you." He nodded quietly and she accepted the compliment without a response. Luke hardly ever complimented her, one of the Jedi's biggest values was that of humility, but she didn't know how to feel about one of her first compliments from him being about Kylo Ren. It seemed like everything was about Kylo Ren now.

"The trip will not be long." Luke sighed to himself as he shut up the hut and made sure everything looked right. "Not more than a week."

"Will we train at the base?" Rey asked as she saw him tuck his lightsaber into his belt.

"We will see. My sister is also a very good teacher of the mind arts. I would like for you to sit with her while we visit as well. I hope she will have some insight on how to focus more." He explained as they began the trek down the steps.

"You have missed her." Rey observed in his face.

"There has been no one I've been closer to in my life. I had not met her through my largest milestones, but when we did meet, it was her who was my support through everything."

"You shouldn't have run off like this." Rey decided to take a chance and scold him. "She could have helped you through that too."

"It was her son. That is a different matter."

"She doesn't blame you. No one does. It was completely Kylo Ren's choice to go to the Dark Side." She kept insisting.

"The speeder is waiting." Luke motioned to the blurry figure waiting down at the beach. "Let's make haste."

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"Your connection to the girl is anything but trivial." Hux stared at Kylo Ren from across the table. Kylo Ren's mask held the gaze, his head not turning.

"I am aware of this." He replied solemnly. "I have done nothing to sever the bond."

"Good. We know that that task has been hard for you." Hux nodded to the group of generals around the table.

"It was nothing out of the ordinary." Kylo lied through his teeth. Keeping the bond with the girl strong had caused him some of the hardest moments of his life. Not that he could have disposed of the bond if he had actually tried, but to keep her mind so near, so vulnerable, he had to vulnerable to keep the bond strong. It had been a challenge.

"But it has gained us much." Hux continued. "And soon you will reap the rewards. We can soon gather where the new Resistance base is located, the girl there as well. And, Skywalker." He smiled gleefully. "And you fall in for the kill. A family reunion." He chided. The tone of the general's voice irritated Kylo. He hated being affiliated with the people back at the Resistance base, wherever it was.

"If that is all, General." Kylo stood quickly before his anger drove him to do something that would result in many consequences.

"That is all." Hux nodded approval and Kylo turned curtly and let himself into the hall. As he began to walk down the hall, Hux called out to him and he turned to see the general standing outside the door of the conference room.

"Remember Kylo," the general called, "breach the girl's mind. She cannot be that strong. Find out where they are going."

"I know what to do." Kylo snapped.

"Watch your temper so that it does not turn you on your accomplices." Hux straightened up and replied in a cold voice. "Know who your enemies are, and whose side is right."

"I know what is right." Growled Kylo. "I would not be here if I didn't. I shall breach the girl's mind in time. It is harder than you think. You, a mere man, lacking wisdom and experience of the Jedi ways, would not know where to begin with a project like this." Kylo risked the hatred he would get from Hux by saying this. "Now leave me be and I will do it!" he turned on his heel and stalked off down the hall.

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"Are you trying your hardest?" Luke asked from the pilot's seat of the speeder.

"As hard as I was trying five minutes ago, the last time you asked me." Rey replied, her voice tinged with exasperation. "I feel nothing! Are you sure that he's trying to do something? Everything feels normal."

"It is the calm before the storm." Luke murmured to her. "The shields for the ship are up. My mind is safe. It is only you we must worry about. It is a disadvantage to be eternally bound to one who plots evil."

"Can't we like, turn it around on him or something?" Rey muttered.

"Speak properly, like a Jedi." He chastised her and she rolled her eyes, then closed them again.

"I mean, can we not use the bond to read their plans?" Rey rephrased her words, dripping with fake sincerity. Luke sighed heavily, recognizing so much of the Padawan in her. Questioning everything, taking matters into her own hands. So much like Kylo Ren….he needed to be careful with her. On his guard.

"Unfortunately, he is much stronger in the mind than you are. You cannot even begin to read his plans without opening your mind for him to read first." Luke tried to explain the complicated process to her.

"Then shouldn't his mind be open to me if he's trying to breach my thoughts?" Rey asked in confusion.

"With much training, he has mastered the art. Yes, it makes his mind more susceptible to being breached, but he knows his ways."

"It's times like these I wish you weren't such a good teacher." Rey sighed and Luke chuckled lightly. "Besides, how do you know so much about all of this?" Rey asked, remembering another question she had been meaning to ask.

"Leia and I have a similar bond." Luke replied with brevity.

"But yours is still different."

"It is." Luke nodded. "Ours is of one of love. Our father was very powerful with the Force. Though she did not become a Jedi, she did inherit much of my father's power. Our hearts automatically reach out to each other."

"But that is not what mine does." Rey pondered.

"I cannot say what your bond is like. I do not experience it like you do. Every bond can be different." Luke shrugged.

"Is it nice to know that you and your sister are always connected?" Rey asked, a small smile forming on her lips, her eyes still closed, giving her a peaceful look. "I know I would have loved a sibling or just a presence with me all those years on Jakku."

"It is a comforting thing." Luke replied. "But also a burden."

"Burden?" Rey mumbled, her attention drawn to her focusing.

"She has always been a perceptive being. It was hard to shut her out when I left." He admitted.

"Hm." Rey responded dreamily, her eyebrows slowly undrawing themselves. They flew in silence for the next few minutes, Luke in front, focusing on piloting, Rey in back sitting on the floor cross-legged, calming her mind.

"I know you haven't flown in a while. How is your stomach?" Luke asked back to Rey. When she did not respond, he looked over his shoulder to her and saw her eyes closed lightly, a look of complete serenity on her face. And then he noticed a spare bolt from the speeder's floor slowly float by. He couldn't help but smile. He hated to break the girl's moment, but he wanted her to see. He reached into her mind gently, trying his best not to disturb her.

"Rey," his voice probed. "I want you to slowly open your eyes, breathe deeply, and continue to picture whatever you have been picturing." He instructed. He felt her mind receive the words and then he withdrew from the recesses of her mind. He watched as she steadied her breathing with purpose, then slowly opened her eyes. At first, she squinted a bit, eyes adjusting to the light, then looked to Luke in confusion. Then she noticed the bolt floating in front of her.

"Why are you-" she started to speak and immediately the bolt fell from the air and clinked back across the metal floor. She looked back to Luke. "What was that?" she asked. "Did something happen?"

"Rey, that was you." Luke explained to her, smile broadening on his lips, remembering the first time he had mastered it. "It wasn't an accident. You lifted that." He watched as the realization exploded in the girl's mind. She jumped up.

"It was me!" she cried. "And it wasn't an accident! I did it! I found my focus!" she hugged Luke quickly before he could stop her and he laughed as she pulled back. "Excuse me, Master." She blushed. "I'm just very excited."

"I know." He nodded his acceptance. "That was very good. Why don't you take a break and come sit up front now for a while." Rey followed him back up to the front of the speeder and sat in the copilot's seat. She watched him work at the controls for a bit. "Make sure to keep your mind barriers up." Luke reminded suddenly. "The excitement can either strengthen them or shake them down."

"You haven't flown in a long time." Rey acknowledged his warning, but persisted with her own statement. "But you were a pilot. An excellent fighter. General Organa told me." She explained. "How does it feel to be back in a speeder?"

"Quite enjoyable." Luke admitted, handling the ship's gears and remembering his old fighter pilot crew. "Quite enjoyable." He repeated, softer this time, reminiscent.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Luke didn't know how to feel. It had been years since he had last seen Leia in person. Of course frequent dreams and glimpses of connections had kept their attachment somewhat strong, but in the mind versus in each other's arms was a bit different. Rey of course was excited, happy to see Finn again and Poe and all her other Resistance friends who were training at the new base. But she had much to focus on and Luke hoped that she didn't forget her duties as a Padawan.

"Master, we're ready to unload." Rey called from the door of the ship. "Can I open up?"

"Wait." Luke stopped her and came to stand beside her. Rey looked at him, hints of concern speckling her eyes. "I want to remind you that we are not here to stay. Do not get too attached."

"I know, Master." She nodded. "I remember."

"Good." He sighed. "Open the door."

"Will you be okay?" Rey asked, hand pausing over the control panel.

"Do not worry about me. It's time to face my sister." Luke reached over her and pressed the button, depressurizing the cabin and letting the door open with a whooshing sound. Rey squinted around and saw Finn and Poe waiting right at the bottom of the ramp.

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"They have arrived at the base." Kylo spoke to himself as he felt the sudden waves of joy and laughter in Rey's heart. "She's with Finn and Poe." He perceived. He didn't know why, but he listened intently to the sound of her laughter as they swapped jokes and traded training stories. He decided that he loved her laugh and then the feelings of jealousy set in. Why couldn't he make her laugh and smile like that? He felt his anger seeping out of the recesses of his mind and strangling him, suffocating, permeating the room. He had never seen her smile. But….he liked it. He watched as she suddenly stiffened and looked around her.

"She feels my anger." He murmured to himself and immediately turned and ignited his lightsaber and started swinging on the rows of practice dummies. He executed his infamous tricks and perfect form, mentally blocking her laughter out, and potentially all thoughts of her. She only made him feel weak. He didn't like to feel weak.

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"You aren't tired?" Leia asked as Rey ran her hands gently over the fabric on her bed. "It's ok, everything here is safely guarded. Nothing will happen."

"No no, I'm not worried." Rey shook her head, a small smile replacing her concerned look.

"Then get some rest," Leia instructed, "I sense that Luke will train you hard tomorrow."

"He always does." Rey sighed and brushed the covers back.

"Sleepwear is in the wardrobe." Leia pointed. "I'll leave you to it."

"Thank you." Rey nodded, but stayed rooted in her place at the foot of the bed, making no move to change or lay down. Leia looked back at her, her eyes big, light, and probing. Rey had seen that look in her master's eyes many times.

"You don't want to sleep." Leia stated and walked back in, closing the door behind her. "I was right, you are afraid, but not that something will happen. It is the sleep itself you fear, is it not?"

"Something like that." Rey sighed in defeat and sank down onto the bed and held her head in her hands. "It's complicated."

"Luke mentioned the troubles you have been having with dreams." Leia replied quietly and sank down onto the bed next to her. "He said I might be able to help you." She chuckled dryly. "My brother is so incapable sometimes. He's not used to women. Sometimes all we need is just someone to listen."

"I've never needed someone to listen." Rey shrugged, hating the feeling of being "feminine" or "needing to vent" as the expressions she had heard before.

"Ah, but it's not a bad thing." Leia read her mind and piped up. "Of course, you growing up alone, you learned to cope without saying a word of what you think to anyone. And then you live with Luke and he doesn't know how to listen. But telling people what you think is a good thing. It helps you work through things to say them out loud, and it keeps you safe from getting too prideful so that you won't rely on others."

"I don't want you to think me weak." Rey muttered.

"I would never think that." Leia replied firmly. "Now tell me what you dream and maybe tonight you might actually want to sleep."

"I know your father is Anakin Skywalker." Rey decided to start by dropping that bomb. But unlike Luke, Leia did not grow dark and sullen. Her facial expression did not change. She merely nodded and said nothing. "And your mother is Padme." Rey continued, hoping Leia would say something about that.

"She was, yes." Leia nodded again and looked at Rey closely. "You see them in your dreams?"

"Quite often." Rey admitted and fingered the blankets that she sat on, anything to keep her eyes from connecting with Leia's, for fear Leia would see the pure exposed dreams in themselves.

"Could you elaborate?" Leia asked finally after Rey did not continue.

"She's always sad."

"Padme?" Leia clarified.

"Yes." Rey breathed deeply, trying to calm her rapid heart, already getting worked up thinking about the dreams. "She's either crying or in pain. But that's when she's alone. When she's with Anakin, she's happy, content. But then I see her alone and she's wailing. And I see glimpses of Anakin…on his path to becoming Darth Vader I believe." Rey admitted the last part with some hesitation. Leia simply nodded. Rey felt a deep appreciation at this. Instead of making a big deal about it, Leia just acknowledged what Rey said and waited quietly. Luke immediately had to say something prophetical. Which Rey thought was cool, but also annoying at times and instilled a lot of anxiety in her. "And I just feel this sort of…connection…between Padme and I in the dreams. But I haven't even met her, obviously." Rey's words began to spill out faster and louder. "But I feel like she's trying to _warn_ me or just… _tell_ me something. But it's always the same things over and over again. Just her and Anakin and her crying. It makes no sense! And all the time I watch it over and over, I get this awful…ominous feeling in me. Like it's almost…."

"Almost what?" Leia asked quickly. Rey paused and looked around anxiously. She licked her lips and frowned.

"Like it's foreshadowing something." She breathed and watched Leia in concern. Leia sat up straighter and looked at the opposite wall, apparently in deep thought.

"Anything else?" Leia asked after a few moments of silence.

"I don't think so." Rey replied in a hushed tone, her heart racing at thinking of the impact her words had had on Leia. Leia stood up slowly.

"Well, thank you for telling me." Her voice was lighter again, simple and calm and collected. "I'm an old one, so I need to be off to bed." She announced as she shuffled to the door.

"You and Luke will never seem old to me." Rey replied, catching on to the lighter mood. Rey stood quickly and hurried over to the wardrobe and grabbed the sleepwear from it and tossed them onto the bed.

"Oh and Rey?" Leia stopped at the door.

"Yes?" Rey looked up from the clothes.

"I'll think about the dream." She replied quietly. "If there's anything else, even if it doesn't seem important, I'd like to hear it. Even the most trivial things can entail solving the equation.

"Well, I told Luke and he didn't seem to think it was that important."

"What?" Leia turned back a bit.

"Padme is always pregnant in the dreams." Rey answered meekly and watched as Leia's mind absorbed what she had just heard.

"I see." Leia nodded slowly. "Well, I'll let you try at some rest. Good night." She turned curtly and shut the door behind her. Rey stared blankly at the sleepwear on her bed and thought about the conversation. Why was everyone making such a big deal out of this? Oh well, Leia was right, it had been easier talking to her rather than Luke. She was short, to the point, and generally non-emotional, just the way Rey liked. She nodded to herself and began to dress for another restless night.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

 _Kylo Ren was officially, completely disturbed. He rarely dreamt at night, and when he did, they were trivial dreams, dreams he would imagine were broad and happened to any other commoner. But as he watched the young woman cry out, he knew this was no ordinary dream._

 _"You're going down a path I can't follow." She would say, same words over and over again. A path she couldn't follow. He saw the pain very clearly in her eyes, yet neither his young grandfather nor his grandmother had any regard for Kylo Ren, their scene playing in his mind as if he was not there, merely witnessing it._

 _"A path I can't follow." The girl's voice echoed in his mind as the dream began to fade away and darkness overtake his mind. "Anny."_

 _"Ren." Another voice breathed, still feminine, but deeper, a bit rougher, and definitely someone he knew._

 _"I'm pregnant." Padme's voice echoed._

 _"A path I can't follow…" the ever familiar voice whispered and he felt his mind shut down in a cold sweat._

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"And how did you sleep?" Luke immediately asked as soon as Rey stepped into one of the rooms that was designated for taking meals in. Rey saw Leia's eyes trained on her as well, waiting for an answer. Poe and Finn had passed her in the hall on the way to breakfast, telling her they were heading out to fix a leak in Finn's ship and that they'd be back in a soon as they could to catch up more with her. She had mumbled a groggy reply, not being much of a morning person.

"I did not have the dream." Rey announced firmly and went to the place that had been set for her at the table. Of course she had had the dream! Same as always, she still felt her stomach tightening and unclenching from the sheer prophecy of it all. Luke nodded and sat down to eat, but Leia stayed standing a bit longer, eyes gently following Rey as she spread her napkin over her lap and picked up the eating utensils as Luke had been teaching her to do.

"Well, good." Leia said finally, the silence that was broken startled all of them and Leia sat down and they were left in an awkward transition of climax back to everyday life and what they intended to do at the base.

"Your mind is alert?" Luke suddenly asked, tone earnest and tight. He looked across the table at Rey. "You must not let him in." Rey glanced quickly at Leia and Luke watched her glance and nodded. "I explained to her my suspicions of the bond between you two."

"An alert mind is always important when you are trying to keep information out of a Force bond." Leia added quietly, eyes on her food. Rey nodded slightly, suddenly incredibly homesick for Jakku where she didn't have to worry about people prying in her thoughts and living on a base with a bunch of people she didn't want to have to talk to. She wanted everyone to just leave her alone. She wanted a full night's sleep without a stupid dream interrupting her peace. She wanted freedom!

"Rey," Leia broke into Rey's thoughts and knocked Rey's mind back to the table and the base. "You are excused." Rey's eyes shot up and stared at Leia in confusion, then saw the knowing behind the woman's eyes. Luke looked at Rey in concern as Rey stood up quietly and excused herself, nodding slightly to Leia as she let herself back into the hallway and looked for the nearest exit.

"…starving." She heard Finn's voice coming from a hall off to her right. Her chest tightened. No. Not more people. She needed to just get away. Too much. It was all too much. She needed to meditate. She refocused her thoughts on how the Force could help her, thinking like a Jedi would. She turned to the left and took off running down the hall, turning to her right at the end of that hall and tearing past a droid that looked after her in confusion. She burst through a meditation room and was back out into the early light of the day before she could take a breath. She kept running, her eyes set on the trees that stood a ways away from the base. She wanted to be completely alone and relish in her solitude. By the time she was shrouded in the forest and vines, she had slowed to a quick walk. She took deep breaths, decided not to think and just looked at the nature around her, appreciating the foliage and letting the fresh air fill her lungs. The Resistance had picked another good planet for their base. She congratulated them on that. She discovered a variety of different trails, each a new sort of calming adventure to breathe in more of a life of simplicity.

"I had the dream again." She suddenly spoke aloud, startling herself as the words just naturally slipped from her lips, the breeze circling the sentence around her. She stopped as the trees cleared out onto a smoothed out stone cliff that provided a good view of the base, just from a higher point. She decided she would meditate here and sat down near the edge.

"I had it too." She heard the words infiltrate her mind, aware that she had not imagined them. But she could do her best to convince herself she had imagined them. She cleared her mind and tried to connect with the Force around her in the beautiful place. She remembered the joy she had experienced when she had discovered she could lift things, finally a controlled amount of concentration.

"Concentrate." She whispered to herself.

"Usually thinking of something calming, safe is a good start." Luke's voice rang in her head from one of the first things he had ever taught her. So now she thought back to when she had felt safe. There had not been very many situations, growing up alone and fending for herself. And then she remembered the feeling of falling, losing control of her body, losing herself to the control of…him. He caught her, her consciousness fading, his arms handling her delicately, the gentle, rocking motion of the way he carried her. She still could not believe he possessed that amount of gentleness. Slowly she became aware of the warm, tingly feeling that was spreading throughout her body, radiating from her midsection.

"Look." His deep voice spoke again and she snapped her eyes open. In front of her, six small pebbles floated in unison, slowly rotating in different patterns. And this time they didn't fall when she looked. They sped up with the beating of her heart. She relished in the pride she felt at mastering the art again, a second time. Until she remembered how she had mastered it. And immediately the rocks fell to the ground, the light she had seen in the world slowly fading back to normal.

"You can't think of him to master this!" she scolded herself. "It's dangerous!"

"You think of me when you think 'safe'." She heard his smug voice slowly creeping farther into her mind. "Of course I'm not surprised."

"Get out!" she snapped to him, finally admitting that yes, he was here and now she had to get him out before he learned anything important. Like the location of the base.

"You brought me in!" he retorted. "Stop thinking about me if you don't want me in."

"Well when you show up everywhere, it's hard to not think of you." She hissed and pushed her wind-whipped hair out of her face in a manner of exasperation. The day was warming up and the air was becoming slightly humid. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she should be going back, but she didn't want to move, and for some reason, she hoped he would say something else.

"You like my voice." He read her mind and she mentally cursed herself ten times over for letting him in like that. "And my long fingers intrigue you." He continued. She felt her barriers slowly slipping as his words pressed harder.

"You didn't have to carry me." She pressed back, trying in desperation to knock him off guard and get him out before it was too late. "But you did. You carried me all the way back to that ship. You like the way I felt in your arms."

"That's merely a hypothesis based on faulty information." She could hear the snap in his voice. Was he getting defensive? She had made that statement up, hoping to fluster him with her lie, but he was acting like it was…true.

"You had the dream too." Rey suddenly remembered his word in her mind when she had first arrived at the viewpoint, like a flood wave.

"It was similar." Kylo admitted and Rey's heart sped up again. "I understand your frustrations now. If I had that dream every night, I'd be grumpy and probably look like that too." She immediately looked down at herself.

"Excuse me?" she raised her eyebrows at no one.

"That wasn't supposed to be out loud." He muttered and she rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, for a second I thought you were joking. If I could hide behind a mask everyday I would, but I prefer not to be a fake." She growled, suddenly irritated. Her lack of sleep, his annoying persistence, the horrible feeling she got in her heart when he was in her mind, and his fresh insult weighed on her back as she felt her anger flaring up. "Just leave me alone! I'm trying to do my job and all you do is distract me!"

"You think it's just you?! How selfish can you possibly be?" he cried, and she could hear his anger matching hers, his normal cool, nonchalant attitude slowly falling to pieces, the shattering fragments ringing in her ears. "Everywhere I look, it's you!" he continued. "You plague me in every waking, and now sleeping, hour! And you yell at me like I purposely do this to annoy you! Well guess what! It works both ways, Padawan." He snarled. She absorbed his words in shock.

"Everywhere I look, it's you!" his words rang in her mind. Her stomach began to turn. She felt something. And it wasn't good. She hadn't felt this before. And it was…awful. Her heart was beating the fastest it ever had as she began to recognize what was happening. Something…something was happening between them. And she wasn't going to let it. No.

"You understand why I have to kill you." He whispered. Her head shot up. "We can't keep on like this, you are obviously a weakness for me, a stumbling block and I can't stumble if I want to finish what my grandfather started. Thank you for talking to me today. You have given me what I wanted." And with that she felt his presence retreat. And she fell down on the ground, her legs weak and her anger burning, raging, a blazing furnace in her heart. No! She had let him in! He had seen! She stood up, her anger out of control and she ignited her lightsaber and stabbed it into the ground with so much force, the stone split in two and she yanked it back out, sweat dripping down her face. She felt the evil churning in the wind. He had meant it. He would kill her, her being a hindrance. And he had seen the base, or at least a way to breach it or something that weakened her. He wasn't bluffing that. She knew how weak her mind had been a few moments ago. He just…did that to her. Her mind…froze. Like she was sinking in cotton candy.

"Rey?" she heard Luke's voice ring through the forest. Oh no. She had to tell them now. Tell him her failure. Tell him that for all she knew, Kylo Ren and the First Order could be on their way to destroy the base. She tore off into the forest to intercept Luke and plead for forgiveness. Maybe she really wasn't cut out to be a Jedi.

"We can't keep on like this, you are obviously a weakness to me…" he had said. He just didn't understand what a weakness he was to her.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Rey!" Finn cried as she came tearing out of the forest an onto the flight platform. "There you are!"

"Where's Luke?" Rey looked around, eyes wide and flashing.

"Leia said you went out for a walk. I mean, we missed you at breakfast, but we knew you weren't really a morning person and-"

"Where's Luke?!" she said, louder and with more force. He stopped talking and looked behind him.

"Last I saw he and Leia were down in the base room, strategizing and catching each other up. Poe is down there with them. I was down there, but they sent me to come get you. They were worried you weren't going to eat any breakfast."

"I need to find Luke right now." Rey nodded and started to run back into the base. Finn followed after her.

"What's wrong?" he asked as they zig zagged through the hallways.

"Jedi thing." Rey mumbled and she saw a flash of jealousy cross Finn's face. She knew he resented the fact that he could never be a Jedi. Of course, he was a sweet guy, but he had big dreams and had also become much more social since she had last seen him. And the more time Rey had spent in solitude, the more she realized that she would rather be by herself, left to her own thoughts than with others.

"Rey." Leia looked up when they burst into the main room and came running down into the circular commode which was covered in maps, lists, and books. "So Finn found you."

"I need to talk to you." Rey's eyes burned into Luke's, her fear completely evident. "Now." Luke didn't even reply, just stood up and took her gently by the arm and led her out into the hallway. "I made a-" she started but Luke shook his head.

"Not here." He motioned her into a room with huge windows looking out over the waterfalls and cliffs of the landscape. Natural light spilled into the room. For a millisecond, the sight calmed her nerves, reminded her of a relaxing getaway, a honeymoon. If only she could be here alone, a book or a tasty drink in hand, she could look out those windows for hours. "Something happened." He sat down on one of the chairs by the window, then waited for Rey to come and sit down. She didn't move, stayed stationed by the door, debating whether or not she could flee. "To do with Kylo Ren?" he guessed.

"How did you…"

"You have that look on your face." Luke's speech was very casual. He looked younger. He had been spending time with his sister. Rey hated to break the mood.

"What look?" she asked, suddenly self-conscious. Were her emotions always so plain to read, out there for just anyone to see?

"Leia sees it too. You look pained." He replied, his eyes suddenly growing darker. He stood back up, very stiff and more like his old self. "You look unwell."

"I have made a terrible mistake." Rey sighed. "I'm so sorry, Master. I have let everyone down." And with that she raced to a chair and threw herself down on it and put her head in her hands and instructed herself to take deep breaths.

"He saw." Luke replied quietly. She heard him pace the room, considering what he had just learned. Sometimes it was nice that he could read her mind, so she didn't have to voice every bad thing. It could come in handy.

"We were arguing." Rey started, her breaths shaky and inconsistent. "I had been meditating."

"And you were thinking of him." Luke finished for her. She snapped her head back to look at him, surprise and shock written plainly on her face. "He would not have entered so easily if you had been placing as much attention on him." Luke explained. Rey stood up, frustration building.

"Well why didn't you tell me that? How was I supposed to know? I have to meditate and you never were very clear about not thinking of what I needed to, to be able to connect with the Force!"

"Lower your voice!" Luke ordered firmly. "I didn't think you needed to be told. I expected you to connect to childhood memories, memories of Han and Finn. I did not expect for you to connect with your enemy in order to meditate." He chastised.

"Well you know what, I did!" Rey exploded. "And it worked! It worked perfectly! I was sitting in a collage of stones! Because I thought of him!" she threw herself back into the chair, her cheeks flushed, trying not to think of the consequences that would follow what she had let happen. Her chest rose and fell as if she had just run a marathon. Luke didn't say another word, she heard him pacing the room still, but never talk. Eventually, Leia stuck her head in and he whispered something to her. She nodded and both of them left the room, talking in hushed tones as they went. Rey stayed in the chair, watched the day pass, sun slowly begin to set, and still no one had bothered her. And for that she would be eternally grateful. But she knew it would not last. She would have to own up to her fallibility

"Rey?" she looked up to see Poe stick his head in, then when he saw her sitting there, he walked in and shut the door behind her and came to sit in the chair across from her.

"Do they want me now?" she asked tiredly, her voice hoarse from not having used it in hours.

"Leia wants to talk to you." Poe nodded solemnly. "How are you?"

"All things considered…" Rey let her voice trail off, glad Poe wouldn't press for an answer. "I should go see her." Rey stood up, her back cracking as she did so. Poe stood up as well. She could see he was concerned. She probably looked like death warmed over. Kylo's words raced through her mind,

"If I looked like that…."

"I'll walk with you." Poe offered and quietly he escorted her out and through the halls. "She's in her room now. She and Luke have been in there for most of the afternoon." Poe offered some information, knowing Rey specifically liked to have the background so she could walk into a room with at least some confidence.

"Thanks." Rey nodded slightly as Poe stopped her in front of Leia's door. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Maybe." Poe corrected her. "Finn and I are gonna be doing some flight practices, training some newbies, so you might not see us until after lunch."

"Got it." Rey nodded then turned and let herself into the room, wondering to herself if Poe knew the sudden danger the base was in, if the whole base knew what could happen because of what she had done. She suddenly felt like sitting down, wherever she was, and just sobbing. But Rey was not one to sob. So she took a deep breath, straightened her back, and walked into the room, biting her lip to keep it from trembling. Leia's room was similar to the one Rey had spent most of the day in, just with more furniture and a bit more graceful and feminine. Over by the big windows was a similar sitting area, and she and her brother sat there, cups of a hot drink in hand and papers spread between them. The air still rang of a fresh argument, but they were not harboring that anger, letting it be evident, but also at the same time expressing their care for each other by just a look or a clearing of a throat. She envied that kind of relationship.

"Rey." Leia motioned for her to sit in a chair. "Come. We have some things to discuss." Rey decided then to detach herself from her emotions, knowing that if she didn't, she'd never get through this talk without bawling her eyes out. She sat down and accepted the tea that was offered to her and sipped it slowly, testing the warmth, also scared that her already turning stomach might not like the tea. But she was glad she had something to hold, something to occupy at least some of her attention on.

"Leia and I have discussed much this afternoon." Luke started, his voice grave and serious. All the light in his eyes from the morning was gone. Rey was crushed with guilt. Was this what Kylo Ren had done to his uncle as well? Was she just as bad as Kylo Ren? "No." Luke shook his head at her and she looked up at him, her eyes glassy, the tears pricking at the back of her eyes. "You are nothing like Kylo Ren." Luke read her mind and immediately Leia set her cup down and came to Rey's side.

"Rey, you mustn't think thoughts like that. If we had known you were feeling this way, we would have sent for you many hours ago. We understand the struggle of having a Force bond, but we can never understand how hard it must be to be yoked with someone with such different goals, a hatred in him." Leia spoke of her own son and Rey couldn't believe how stoic Leia sounded. She had probably had to practice for years to talk about her own son like that. Rey admired Leia's courage. "It was bound to happen, that the First Order would find this base. We've been residing safely here for a good time. We all live here, expecting we might have to leave at any time."

"I seem to have caused a great distress and I will not trick myself into believing it is nothing." Rey replied coldly, still completely and utterly disgusted with herself for letting this happen. "I know this will cause a chain of problems, chaos, and disorder. I put lives in risk. And I have no idea how to go about fixing it."

"You don't need to fix a thing." Leia shook her head, but Luke cleared his throat and Leia looked over at him, her eyes suddenly hard and narrowed. She shook her head and Rey looked between the siblings. What was happening?

"You two are disagreeing over something, are you not?" Rey asked, aware of how much she sounded like her master, Leia realizing it too and smiling for a minute. But the smile soon faded and she nodded reluctantly.

"Yes." She admitted. "My brother has come up with what he believes should be the next step that is taken. I however believe that no steps need to be taken. We will simply move the base like we have before."

"That is completely ineffective." Luke spoke up finally. "The root problem is still here. Rey and I would either follow you to that base, but her mind is an ever-present bomb, ready to go off as soon as Kylo Ren wishes it to. So then she and I go back to the island. He will find us there as well, no matter how hard Rey tries. She will have seen things, give away secrets about the Resistance, completely unwillingly, but she can't help it. She is completely at his will when he breaches her mind."

"She can't help it!" Leia cried. "Look at her! She is trying so so hard to keep him out! I feel so responsible for how my son is plaguing this girl! She didn't ask for this! And now she has it and she's trying her best to deal with it!"

"We should try to fix it if it is this hard for her block him out." Luke replied, his rational side taking over.

"We can't just fix it, it's a Force bond! It can't be broken." Leia sighed and went to sit back down in her chair in defeat. "We need to decide what's best for her and get her settled into living a life of battling this."

"I don't know if I could handle that." Rey spoke up meekly. Both of her superiors turned to look at her. "I can't go around, scared I'll give away anything and everything about the Resistance. But how can I be a Jedi if I don't involve myself with the Resistance?" she couldn't believe what she was about to say. But now she knew what real sacrifices were about. She could feel her heart breaking, her dreams crashing and burning around her. "So I've decided to go back to Jakku. I can live a commoner life again, the Force bond will be there, but I will no nothing of the Resistance and Kylo Ren will no longer be able to use me to hurt you all. It is the best thing to do." She finished quietly, tears surfacing, but she forced them down.

"I told you she'd want to leave." Luke muttered to Leia and she sighed.

"Rey, I know there's nothing I can say to make you stay and involve yourself when you are like this." Leia tilted Rey's chin up to look at her. "But Luke has an idea, I don't like it one bit, but he believes that you can do it and I believe that you can too. And I think it might be best for everyone here. It's dangerous and it will be hard. But it might just solve the problem, free you and let you grow to your full potential. You will not have to worry about being a disadvantage to the Resistance."

"What is it?" Rey asked, suddenly scared to hear what the idea was, especially when she saw the tears in Leia's eyes. Luke stood up slowly and faced out to the windows, hands behind his back, eyes looking at the brightening stars in the dark sky as night folded over the planet.

"Break the Force bond." Luke replied simply.

"But that's impossible." Rey narrowed her eyes. What a stupid statement. Like they hadn't been trying to break the bond for the past three months.

"Not entirely." Luke replied quietly and Rey saw two silent tears slide down Leia's cheek. "I believe there is a way."

"And that is?" Rey asked, a dark feeling beginning to swirl in her midsection. She had a feeling she knew what he was going to say. And it ignited in her a fear that she had not yet ever known was there. Luke turned back from the window, his eyes dark as the sky.

"If you kill Kylo Ren."


	10. Chapter 10

**I want to thank everyone who leaves reviews, I appreciate them so much. Reviews make my day so if you haven't been leaving them, please do! Can't wait to keep sharing this story with you guys!**

Chapter Ten

Kylo Ren watched her pace her bedroom floor, still in the dark of the morning, her thin lips pursed in anxiety. She hadn't even tried to sleep last night, her heart now in a constant drumming. Sometime at around two in the morning her hair had fallen completely down from the buns she had tied it in, her soft hair spilling down to kiss her shoulders. And ever since, Kylo hadn't been able to look away.

"Rey?" she looked up to see Leia standing in the doorway. Kylo immediately left Rey's mind, never wanting to see the ever-present pain in General Organa's eyes. "Luke is loading the shuttle. Ready to put your stuff on?" she asked and Rey swiftly collected her bag that she had barely unpacked, her short stay here cut even shorter by these awful turn of events.

"You aren't coming, are you?" Rey asked as she saw Leia's similar bag slung over her shoulder. Leia held the door open as she and Rey stepped into the hall and began to walk towards the loading docks.

"I have decided that while you are away, I will journey to several different planets that have requested my presence for some time. Meanwhile, the base will pack up and begin preparations for a relocation. You will be dropped on a mostly uncharted planet, where you can train with Luke and prepare for your..." Leia sighed and shook her head. "How different life has turned out than what I first expected when I held him in my arms." Rey decided not to reply, she did not know how. "I saw him grow up, get married, have a family." She sighed and swallowed thickly, arms wrapped protectively around her as if that would keep the pain away.

"He can still have that." Rey offered, not believe a word of what she had just said. Leia looked over at her, eyes bleary and cynical.

"Rey," Leia reached out and put her hand gently on her arm and they both stopped walking to look at each other, a few yards from the exit of the base, "I once held out hope for him. I prayed every night that someone could change his mind. Han used to promise me that someone, just someone could change him. Of course I thought when Han went it might have been possible…but the boy killed his own father."

"The man that killed Han Solo is not Ben Solo." Rey shook her head.

"I have accepted the fact that I shall never see Ben again." Leia nodded bravely and took a shaky breath. "You would do well to guard your mind, Rey. Kylo Ren is dangerous. He takes what he wants."

"I'm not afraid of him." Rey replied, feeling a lot less strong than she sounded. "I know he can return to the light. There's good in him." As soon as the words had left Rey's lips, she gasped, the memories of her dreams like a cut just reopened.

"There's good in him." Padme's dying breath gasped. "Obi Wan, there's good…"

"Rey." Leia's eyes were probing. Rey looked away, her eyes seeking the light of the flight dock.

"I should hurry." Rey choked out, trying not to faint. The connection had jarred her. She had just said the exact thing Padme had. About two very similar people.

"Be safe." Leia whispered as she walked Rey out to the ship and stood at the bottom of the ramp as Rey trudged up it.

"Train hard!" Poe called, already waiting at the ship.

"Come back in one piece!" Finn waved and Rey nodded and stepped into the shadows of the ship. The door closed firmly behind her. This was not how she had imagined her visit to the base going. She squeezed into the pilot's area where Luke had just ignited the engines. Rey looked out the window as they took off, Poe and Finn now standing by the door back into the base, but Leia stood exactly where the ship had taken off from, her eyes locked on Luke's, her face a twist of fear and pain. She was letting another person she cared about go and try to reason with Kylo Ren. But Rey didn't intend to let Ren anywhere near her master. She also didn't intend to reason with Kylo Ren. She was going to kill him.

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"They didn't know where we were going." Rey spoke once she and Luke had cruised out of the atmosphere.

"Leia thought it best not to tell any of your peers." Luke explained. "Safer that way."

"They wouldn't have let me go."

"That's not their choice."

"Did I have a choice?" Rey asked. "Any other option?"

"You could have returned to Jakku." Luke replied, hands tightening on the steering handles.

"Not while the First Order is a threat to the Resistance. Especially not while Kylo Ren does what he pleases and torments my fellow fighters." Rey shook her head. "I do what I have to."

"That is an admirable trait." Luke nodded his head. "I knew you would not return to Jakku, even when you suggested doing so last night."

"It seemed like a good idea before I truly considered everything. I still haven't fully wrapped my mind around everything that has happened."

"Maybe some meditation would help with that." Luke's friendly hint at another lesson made her roll her eyes.

"So you're saying 'go meditate'." She shook her head and got up to go back to the aft end of the ship where there was room to sit on the floor and connect with the Force in the space. But as she settled down, she grew worried. Not again. She couldn't stand to see him again. Hear him again. No. That was a chance she would not take.

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Kylo paced the dark room, General Hux sitting at the head of the table, Kylo's chair long abandoned as he had turned to intense pacing. He couldn't take it. Her words flashed in his mind.

"You like the way I felt in your arms…" her soft tone pushed and prodded at his mind. And the enraging thing was, she was right. She had fit perfectly in his arms. He could feel her chest beating, her soft cheek resting over his heart.

"Kylo Ren." Hux's voice pierced the image and Kylo looked up and paused his pacing. "The girl has left the base, has she not?" Hux clarified.

"She has." Ren nodded, aware of the fact that Rey was no longer staying with the Resistance. He had seen her this morning, packing.

"You complete fool!" Hux bellowed, Kylo's head shooting up. "Now the girl knows we were looking! She left, and Skywalker with her!"

"In order to see where they were, I had to speak to her!" Kylo yelled back, his anger beginning to boil. "I told you where the base is, now leave me alone!"

"No." Hux shook his head and swallowed, hands placed on the table to balance himself after his rant. "Your work is not finished. The girl and Skywalker. It is time to take action." Kylo had been expecting something like this. It was no longer possible to avoid the fact that Rey was becoming too strong to continue to let her roam. She needed to be annihilated. "Figure out where she and Skywalker are. Once we have him, the girl will follow. She has a childlike dedication to that man, God only knows why."

"He was greatly loved by all of his students." Kylo muttered.

"Not all." Hux sneered back and Kylo glared down the table at him. "But, find the girl and her master and all will fall into place. Without the two, the Resistance shall fall." Hux continued in confidence. "I am sure of it. Skywalker was the cornerstone on which the Resistance was reestablished. Take away the cornerstone and the building falls." He chuckled evilly, the turned to Kylo Ren. "Find them! And once you do, gather your men and bring me Luke Skywalker!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Rey sighed in defeat as she wacked at the thick plants with her staff. It had only been their third day on the uncharted planet and she was already more exhausted than running her flights of stairs. Luke had failed to mention that the planet was practically a jungle, thick with plants, snakes, lizards, and humid air, and tepid water. No sun could break through the tree canopy that was her new sky. She could no longer see the stars, one of her favorite views, and starting a fire in the wet climate was next to impossible. Of course Luke, being the teacher he was, insisted in starting from scratch, having her build their temporary hut, make the fires, cook the food, while he got water and wood for the fire. Of course she didn't see how this was fair, but she reminded herself that Luke was not as strong physically as she. He needed her to carry her own weight.

"Rey?" she heard Luke's voice call through the trees, echoing off stones and leaves in the emptiness. No friend. No sound but the trees in the wind and the water that ran through the dirt, pooling to make it a muddy, slick pit wherever she walked.

"Almost there!" Rey called back as she sunk into three feet of pure mud. She growled under her breath, cursing the planet and Luke for choosing this location. The only good thing about being here had been the fact that she had had minimal disturbances from Kylo Ren here. She didn't know whether that was the effects of the planet, or just the fact that she was learning to block him out, but regardless, she was getting better sleep. When she had finally sucked her feet out of the boggy mire, she sat down on a nearby rock to wipe the dripping sludge off of her boots with a large, soft leaf. As she was slipping the shoes back on, adding them to the list of things to wash when she returned to the hut, she heard a noise. At first it was only a slight humming, which she attributed to the few kinds of birds that they shared the planet with. But slowly the humming got louder, and as Rey stood, she began to recognize the sound of thruster engines and atmosphere combustion chambers. She was hearing a ship. At first she thought that Luke might me moving their ship even more out of sight, but then she remembered that one of Luke's main rules was never start the ship. The sound attracted attention and the fuel lines could be traced. Luke was a lot of things, but he didn't break his own rules. A slight unease formed in her chest and she began to hurry back to the hut, more urgency in her steps this time. She had been away too long. She should've have been quicker. What if something was happening? As she almost reached the clearing, the intense noise blew her back and a beam of light flashed in her face, bright blue, the brightest she had ever seen, and she was thrown at least fifty yards back into the forest, blinded. In the distance, she heard a lightsaber ignite. She told her body to move, dug her hands into the dirt, tried to pull herself up, but she was too weak.

"Move." Her mind whispered to her. "Get up!" her nails scrabbled helplessly on stones as she slowly began to lose feeling in her legs. A serene calm began to surround her and she knew now that she was falling into the pit of unconsciousness. "No!" her mind screamed. "Get up! Have to help Luke!" But to no avail. Because the last thing she remembered was seeing the dirt beside her grow wet with her own blood.

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Rey woke up to a new kind of light. Her eyelids lay limp over her eyes and immediately she felt the pang of an intense headache. She knew that if she opened her eyes, she might be blinded, but she had to risk it. She snapped her eyes open and was greeted with darkness. It had been an illusion. Then she began to absorb the senses of the rest of her body. She was on a firm, but padded sort of cot, a blanket covering her. And her clothes were gone. Panic rose in her throat and she shot up. Immediately a machine began to whir and light blinked from across the room. She began to feel a wave of nausea form in her stomach and the dizziness was so much that she just laid back down, deciding to rest a few more minutes.

"Awake?" she turned her head and the lights flipped on. She immediately screwed her eyes shut, as tightly as they would go, blocking out the pain stinging behind her eyes. The droid's voice was a comfort to her, instantly reminding her of BB-8.

"Where am I?" she croaked as the droid wheeled over to her, much taller than BB-8 but simpler and spoke English.

"Aboard the Star Killer base." The droid replied as it fiddled with something behind her bed. Rey froze.

"The Star Killer base was destroyed." Rey spoke with a new urgency, a need of reassurance.

"Pardon me." The droid rolled back. "Welcome to the new Star Killer Base."

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Rey found out very quickly that her physical condition was quite limiting. Two more droids had powered on since she had woken up and each were doing something to help her. One changed the bandages of her wounds and one brought her something to drink while the other examined her for a concussion.

"After the drug wears off, you should regain most feeling in your limbs." The droid explained after it had taken accurate notes on the condition of her head. "You shall heal quickly."

"Thank you." Rey offered quietly, now having a soft spot for droids, admiring their loyal and consistent attitudes and faith.

"We will tell him you're awake." Two of the droids announced and rolled out the door.

"Tell who?" Rey lost all her sense of control immediately as she considered the fact that she was in the power of the First Order and was incapable of moving and wasn't wearing any clothes, the blanket her only source of protection. The droid helped prop her up and then continued to bandage a terrible gash just under her knee.

"So she is awake." The cold voice flew through the air, into Rey's mind and flowed throughout her body, singing her DNA and permeating her heart. It was him. But it wasn't in her mind. This time, it was him. And the feeling of him standing only a meter from her was almost unbearable, the force of their bodies too strong. She grunted and her face contorted in pain and concentration. He stood there, she had forgotten how tall he was, mask on as always.

"Where's Luke?" she struggled to gasp as she felt his intensity slack off and she could breathe again.

"We were hoping you would be so kind as to tell us that." Kylo Ren's voice was slightly harsh.

"You mean…" Rey's voice trailed off.

"Yes, your master was not found on the planet." He replied. And suddenly Rey remembered the sound of the ship. The light beam. Being thrown. Losing consciousness. She wriggled her fingers and she started to feel a tinge of warmth in the tips of her toes. Kylo Ren watched as she wriggled her toes, watched as the droid continued to bandage her knee. She had not reacted as he had suspected. He had expected anger, fear. But not this…nonchalance. "RW-3." He turned and addressed the last droid that was in the room.

"Master?" it chanted.

"When the girl is strong enough, get her up and have her taken to one of the quarters on the fifth unit. And get her some clothes."

"Clothes!" Rey's mind flashed red lights at her and she looked down, remembering that the skimpy blanket was the only friend she had at the moment. Kylo smirked to himself as he saw the girl's face begin to turn a nice shade of crimson. "When did they take my clothes off?" Rey thought to herself, instantly fearing the answer. "Who saw what?"

"I did not see your figure." Kylo Ren chuckled through his mask, hoping the voice changer unit would disguise the pure glee he was getting out of seeing her this flustered. "I left it up to the droids to treat you." Rey sighed in frustration.

"Could you please not read my personal thoughts?" she glowered at him and prayed the blanket wasn't the least bit see through.

"Would you rather me torture them out of you?" he challenged.

"Or just stay out of them in general." She spit back. "I can assure you my thoughts don't concern anything about the Resistance. I've been living alone for over a week."

"Oh I am aware of what you know." Kylo scoffed. "We did a complete mind check as soon as we picked you up." He folded his arms, watching her eyes ignite in rage. "Funny the things you can learn from a girl's mind. Extra information you can't learn through the Force. Like I never knew your neck was so sensitive. I'll have to remember that." Rey felt a shiver run down her spine and before she could think of why that had even happened, he had turned and stalked out of the room, leaving her to realize that she was regaining feeling in her back and legs. Another droid rolled in this one had a lady's voice, and the other droid excused itself while Rey was helped into a slim, softer dark robe that came to about her knees. By the time that was done, she felt able to walk, finding she in fact was able to as the she was escorted by the droid out of the room, then taken by two storm troopers, one on each arm, and they led her down numerous hallways. This sparked some sense of hope in her, her ability to at least walk somewhat steadily. But then she remembered that her robes, with her lightsaber, were gone. She had no means of fighting or rescuing herself from Kylo Ren or anyone else. She was at their mercy now.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

When Kylo Ren had said "quarters", Rey had expected something a little more…roomish. These were not quarters. This was a cell. The Stormtroopers had hefted her now exhausted limbs through the metal door and set her on the ground. Rey immediately took in her surroundings, something Luke had taught her, pay attention to details. They just might save your life later. No window. Rey's spirits fell. Windows were always a plus. She had seen that the only way to open the cell was a hand code. Of course she couldn't pass that, especially since she couldn't even get out to open the thing. The room was small, lit by a single dim bulb in the corner. It hung from a limp cord that up into a miniscule hole in the ceiling. Rey grunted as the Stormtroopers shut the door and left her on the cold metal floor in silence. Great. Not only was she a prisoner, she would die of boredom. She was an active girl. She needed things to do.

"Just what you need." Luke's voice rang in her head suddenly. "Time to meditate. No one will disturb you here." She almost thought she heard a hint of snicker in his tone. Right after hearing his voice, she focused as hard as she could to connect with him, reach out to him with her mind, but there was nothing. No images, visions, flashing lights. Her mind was blank. What was happening? What was Kylo Ren doing to her?

"Is this how you treat your guests?" she asked aloud to the four, dark walls. No reply. She sighed and backed herself up against the wall adjacent to the door on the left side. Not even a window on the door. She might as well suffocate. She hated tight spaces, though she could fit very well in them. Luke told her she could use that to her advantage. She had yet to see how that helped her. She shifted her leg and immediately she felt her pure skin rub up against the rough metal, friction on her raw, shredded skin. She inhaled sharply and bent down to examine the wrapping job. The droids had done a good job, but the Stormtroopers had been too rough with her. Not for her capability, of course, but the wrapping was falling apart and the exposure to the air was stinging her cuts and abrasions. She reached up and smoothed her greasy hair back over her head, cringing as she did. What she wouldn't give for a bath. Even the baths back on Jakku in the tepid, iron water that was still full of dirt. Better than having her back stick to anything it touched. "Meditate." She told herself and pursued her thoughts again, with still the same struggle of getting any sort of connection with anything. By the time she gave up trying, her lids were drooping, all the adrenaline that had been keeping her going slowly fading away. If she was a prisoner locked in a cell, who could get to her? No one wanted her at night. She felt herself slowly sliding down the wall, head gently touching the floor, the headache still pounding, but with each second the pain faded, just as her subconscious took over.

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 _"There's good in him."_ Ren heard Padme's voice again in his sleep that night. He had spent the first part of the night just pacing, he was very good at pacing. He had wanted to speak with Rey longer, get inside her head, read her face. It had been so long since he'd been in her presence. It was so much more different than connecting through their minds. But as the night wore on, Kylo decided that he needed sleep in order to deal with the day's struggles. And now he was regretting that decision. It was Padme and Anakin again. And then…

 _"There's good in him."_ That wasn't Padme, he thought. He listened. _"The man that killed Han Solo is not your son."_ It was Rey. His heart sped up and he focused his ears in, mulling over her words. She must have been talking to General Organa. She sounded so confident in her theory. And then Padme's words came back to him. Rey had sounded so much like Padme in that moment.

 _"Ben."_ He heard a whisper. _"Ben."_

"That's not my name!" He insisted, sure this was Rey's way of getting back at him for shutting her up in the cell, plaguing him with her mind. "Leave me alone!"

 _"You."_

"No."

 _"Are."_

"Stop."

 _"Ben." The voice breathed. "To me, you are Ben."_

"Rey!" he growled and woke up in a cold sweat, heart racing, joints cramping from his sudden activity. He grunted and tore his blankets away and made his way to his closet for his robes. The burning anger in his stomach was driving him out of sleep and to the only person he knew how to blame for his ever-present persecution about the Light.

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Rey woke up to the sound of the cell door whooshing open, and only then did she become aware that she had ever been sleeping. Her bones were stiff and her mouth was dry. She grunted and squinted up at the dark figure posed in the doorway. And then he stepped into the cell and the door closed behind him.

"You." She mumbled and sat up slowly. "What do you want?"

"Get up." He growled, his voice filled with venom. Her eyebrows drew together and he watched as she tried to move, but couldn't. He couldn't stand looking at this girl, so full of herself, too confident, too good, too beautiful. Too perfect. He reached out and grabbed her arm, felt her flinch as he slowly dragged her up the wall until she was at standing position. Not once did he hear a whimper. But he did see the new fear in her eyes.

"What's with you?" she snapped as she stood on shaky legs.

"Stupid girl!" he cried and before he knew what he was doing he had her by the shoulders, pressing her roughly against the wall, her feet off the ground and his face inches from hers. Her eyes had grown huge, brown irises colliding with the darkest she had ever seen. Something so…deep….so intriguing. So much…there, in his eyes. "I want you to stay out of my dreams!" he snarled. He felt her heart beat pacing rapidly. Whether from the fast wake up call or the fear he wasn't sure. She tried to control her heart, hoping he wouldn't notice how fast it was beating. The close proximity was making her feel…intoxicated. She began to feel faint.

"I wasn't doing…" her voice faded then returned, "…anything." She swallowed and tried to focus her eyes. Her head began to nod. "I don't know…" Kylo Ren watched as her eyes began to unfocus and her head break out in sweat. Immediately his anger ebbed and he saw that he'd been cutting off her circulation by forcing her shoulders so hard. He instantly let go and watched as she began to sink to the floor, noticed her open wounds, the bruises on her legs and cheeks, everything he had missed in his anger. Before she hit the floor he grabbed her and lifted her. He paused, remembering the way he had felt when he carried her before. He couldn't do that again. He was afraid to feel that again. "Ren?" he heard her voice, far away and still very much on edge no matter how out of it she was. "Don't touch me." She mumbled.

"You want me to leave you here?" he asked and dropped her back to the floor. He heard her gasp as her arm caught on the rough metal floor. "That's what I thought." He replied icily and before she could say anything else he threw her over his shoulder and left the cell. He couldn't take her back to the infirmary, it was night. Hux probably would be angry if he found out that he had taken the prisoner into his own hands. He had to take her to his room. He had the minimal supplies there. Maybe he could run to the infirmary and get her something. No. He would not be too nice to her. Right now he was only being merciful so that she wouldn't die in the cell before he could get the information he wanted from her. She hung limply over his shoulder, her arms lightly brushing his back as he walked. She didn't say a thing. She was as light as a feather, built wiry but strong. He had seen how hard she worked.

By the time he reached his room, he had stopped by the infirmary to grab a few new bandages. Only the necessities. He would not be a pushover. He let them into his room, Rey still dangling down his back. He bumped her head on the door as it shut and he heard a grunt from her. As he started to move again, he felt her stir.

"That hurt." She grumbled and he frowned. He was hoping she had been asleep.

"Yeah well you wouldn't even be able to carry me so just be quiet." He retorted as he set her down on his bed, the only piece of furniture in the room.

"What are you doing?" she asked groggily as she felt the mattress under her. "I'm not sleeping here."

"Of course not." Kylo Ren frowned at her. "I won't let you."

"Fine then!" Rey snapped back.

"Here." Kylo tossed her the bandages. "Change these so they don't get infected." She caught the packages and began to unroll them. He turned his back to her and stepped back to his wardrobe and removed his robes, leaving himself only in a pair of black sleeping shorts. He came back to Rey and saw that she had used half the roll to fix up some of the worst spots of cuts. The rest could wait for the next day. When she looked up and saw him, her breath caught in her throat. "What?" Kylo asked and frowned. "Ok. You can sleep on the floor if you want."

"Nothing." She replied, her eyes glossing over his broad shoulders, smooth chest, strong muscles. She wanted to touch him. Feel him on her. Now. She felt her mind spinning out of control.

"Well are you going to move?" Kylo asked impatiently, looking at her expectantly. Rey rolled her eyes. Of course he still had his arrogant attitude.

"Don't freak out." Rey held up her hands and slipped off the bed and onto the floor by the door.

"I get up early." Kylo said firmly from across the room. "I'll wake you up and return you to your cell."

"Fine by me."

"You don't have a choice anyway." He spat and she heard him turn over and after a while heard the heavy sounds of his breathing. She laid by the door, shivering, tried the doorknob. Locked. Of course. She laid back down, weak everywhere, and wished not for the first time that she had never found BB-8.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"Get up." Rey heard the words and tried to decode what they meant? What language was he speaking? She moaned and cracked her eyes open. The room was still fairly dark, it being in space, but the blinds were still pulled down, blocking out the light of the stars and comets. "Now."

"What time is it?" she croaked as she sat up. And then the pain of the previous day caught up to her. "In the name of Yoda, that hurts." She hissed and felt underneath her robe and rubbed her ribs lightly, breathing heavily as she did.

"I said get up." Kylo Ren growled and yanked her hand away and pulled her to her feet. She mentally decided that he would not best her, would not see weakness. She was representing the Jedi. And as a fallen Jedi, Kylo Ren needed to see that the Jedi had power, had spirit, and could still get the best of the First Order. A nagging voice at the back of her head told her that she also wanted to prove herself to him, that things were more personal. But she shut that voice off and ground her teeth against the pain in her side and on her legs. She didn't even want to look at the bandages, knew they were wet with some form of blood or puss.

"Don't touch me!" Rey snapped back at him and yanked her arm away, stumbling slightly as she did so, still getting used to feeling so weak. He towered over her; she had forgotten how tall he was.

"Well aren't you just a doll in the morning." Kylo Ren replied sarcastically and crossed his arms. "I wouldn't be so rude if I were you."

"And why is that? I feel I have good grounds for how I act." Rey retorted and stuck out her chin in defiance, trying to ignore how short and inferior she felt. If she couldn't best him in physical strength, she would beat him in confidence and mental strength. "First, you kill one of the best men I ever met, you betray the Resistance, almost kill Finn, almost kill me. But no, that wasn't enough. You have to keep being evil. Just in case you didn't realize, a second Star Killer base doesn't sound nearly as intimidating. If I was you, I would have just renamed it something completely original. I mean, isn't it kind of dooming the thing to the exact same fate as the first one?"

"Shut up!" Kylo barked, his mind spinning with all the words tumbling out of her mouth. Was this what females always did? If so, he'd be leaving her completely to be dealt with by Hux. "And you should be grateful to me. Have you forgotten last night already?"

"I was half dead!" Rey cried. "You left me to die on your cold metal floor!"

"I let you out of your cell, carried you all the way here, got you new bandages, and let you sleep in here!" Kylo replied indignantly. "That's mercy if I ever gave it."

"You're incapable of mercy." Rey scoffed and looked away. "And anyways, next time, save your pathetic mercy. I don't need it."

"Fine. We'll see if you still say that when I'm done with you." Kylo muttered and cuffed her hands behind her back. Rey's spine tingled when she heard the words. Kylo Ren felt heat pooling in his lower abdomen after he said those words. What he wouldn't do to Rey… "Let's go." Kylo opened the door and pushed her out into the hall.

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Rey frowned as she finished counting the seventh row of dots that covered the cell floor. She was sweating and her muscles were cramping having been bent over in the same position for over half an hour as she counted the dots. She was so desperate for something to do. Kylo Ren had left her back in the cell first thing in the morning, passing no one in the halls, but she had been in here for at least four hours and now she heard the constant sounds of Stormtroopers and other droids moving up and down the halls outside her cell. What did Kylo Ren have planned for her, that was the real question. Of course they wanted to know where Luke was. But her regular force abilities were apparently absent in her time of need. She had no idea where Luke was. Frankly she was starting to get angry at him too. Where had he been when Ren had been dragging her onto his ship? Where was he now that Rey was shut up in a dark, tight cell, bleeding and broken? It was times like these that Rey almost could understand why Ren left the Resistance. She could understand the humiliating feeling of being beaten, being weak, not being able to show your true potential, always holding back. She could understand. Almost. But the things that the Resistance offered, the things it stood for made up for her discomfort by far.

"Master, now would be a good time for some help." Rey whispered, looking up at the metal ceiling. She waited for a few seconds. Instead of help, she got her cell door opened and was greeted by a Stormtrooper. He made sure her hands were cuffed, then led her out of the cell, much to her relief, and down the hallways. It was weird to look at the people all working for the First Order, all of them going about their business, but none of the them payed the slightest attention to her as she was led down the hall and then towards the elevators of the ship. By the time the Stormtrooper had stopped her in front of a door, she had decided that wherever she was going, she remain calm and not speak unless she needed to. As the door slid open, Rey squinted in the harsh light that was emitted by the room. She stepped in and saw the room was covered in white. White walls, white floor, white ceiling and white furniture. There was a table in the center of the room, surrounded by many chairs, but only one of them was occupied.

"Thank you." Kylo Ren nodded to the Stormtrooper. "Leave her here. I shall deal with her." The trooper nodded and left abruptly. Rey stood by the now closed door and looked straight ahead of her, remembering that the first sign of weakness was curiosity. She would not be curious. "How was your cell?" Kylo purred and motioned for her to sit down in the chair to the right of the head of the table where he was sitting. She paced her movements, not too fast, not too slow, and not too leisurely but not too jumpy. She marched over to the place and sat down with some discomfort as her arms were still bound behind her back. But she pretended that it didn't bother her and looked at Kylo Ren with slightly raised brows.

"What do you want?" Rey asked as if he were a little boy who'd been pestering her all day and now she finally had time to listen to his inferior requests.

"Watch your tone." Ren warned as he looked behind him at another entrance to the room. "Others are not as patient as I am."

"Patient." Rey snorted. "First thing I thought of when I saw you."

"Sarcasm is noted." Ren muttered and looked at her carefully. "You want to know why you were brought here?"

"Well if I'm sitting here for no reason, wasting my time, that might be frustrating."

"Would you rather waste time in your cell?" Kylo replied quickly. Rey fell silent. "I do not know why you were brought here. I just had orders from General Hux to have you brought here, have you ready for a meeting at this time. He'll be here soon."

"A meeting about what?" Rey asked, a skeptical look crossing her face. "I know nothing."

"You speak truth." Kylo Ren smiled his smug smile and Rey's blood boiled. "I cannot say what he wants." As he said this, the door behind him whooshed open and Rey saw the general she had caught glimpses of months ago step into the room. Kylo Ren stood up quickly and Rey smiled to herself quickly as she saw the intimidation in Hux's eyes. Hux was not match for the tall, strong form of Kylo Ren.

"What a pleasure." Hux turned to Rey and saw her bound arms. He shook his head and clucked to himself. "Send for the droid for my food and have her arms unbound. But make sure the doors are locked." Hux ordered Kylo Ren and Rey watched as he followed instructions, then waited by the door as he watched Hux sit down at the head of the table and regard Rey with interest. "You have nothing to say?" Hux asked in surprise as Rey stared back at him silently. A droid rolled in and placed a plate of food at Hux's place, then quickly removed Rey's bonds and exited faster than it had entered. Rey shrugged, her eyes trained on the food. And then she realized what true hunger was. She hadn't eaten in over two days. "Hungry?" Hux saw her eyes follow his fork full of noodles to his mouth. Rey tore her eyes away, prayed her stomach made no noises, then shook her head. "Does she not speak to anyone?" Hux looked over to Kylo.

"When she does it is not pleasant." Kylo muttered and Rey almost giggled. She had been trying to make things hard on Kylo. Apparently it had been working.

"What she needs is a firmer order." Hux replied calmly and before she knew what was happening her shoulder was on fire, burning pain rushing through her veins. Her chair had fallen over and she grabbed out of the table, shaking it so hard that Hux's glass fell over and shattered. Hux chuckled as she struggled to pull herself up, clutching her shoulder. He held some form of a blaster in his hands. Maybe a stun gun? "Maybe now she'll talk?"

"I'm not a mute you know." Rey snapped, swallowing hard, feeling like she was about to throw up. "You weren't saying anything interesting." Hux was up in an instant and thrown her back down on the floor, pinning her flat with his boot on her stomach.

"We need to find someone."

"Could that be Luke Skywalker?" she choked out.

"Very good." Hux eased his boot up a little. "Kylo Ren?" Hux called behind him. "You may leave now." Rey looked under the table and saw Ren's big black boots turn, then pause just inside the door. He waited a few moments, then she saw him disappear and she suddenly felt so much more alone. "Now that he's gone, we can really talk." Hux took his boot away and hefted her into a chair that wasn't overturned. Rey considered her options. Now that her hands were unbound, she had a chance of fighting. She and Luke had never really practiced fist fighting or the ways to take an opponent down with her hands, but she had grown up on Jakku. She could handle herself. She knew she could at least get a few good punches in on Hux. He was shorter and much less intimidating than Kylo Ren could be. But she knew that as soon as she started fighting back he really would kill her. So she decided to sit tight and pray for Luke to hear her pleas for help.

"I don't know where he is." Rey replied as calmly as she could, her shoulder feeling like it was about to fall off. "I can't remember a thing before I was taken from the planet. He wasn't with me when I was found."

"Maybe this will convince you." Hux pulled out the gun again, this time though it looked a tad different and Rey imagined that it wasn't just a stun gun this time. He held it up against her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying the hardest she ever had to connect with the Force. "Remember now?" she could sense Hux's finger curling around the trigger.

"If you plan on killing me, please don't put me back in that cell." Rey's words were coming out without her even thinking. "That place is a little too sad, even for the dead." With that Hux took the gun and beat her across the face with it. Rey cried out and fell forward out of the chair, onto her hands and knees, staring at the floor, breathing hard.

"General?" she heard a droid voice in the room as she watched the floor spin.

"Get the girl up and back to her cell." She heard Hux snap and she heard the door whooshing open, then closed behind him. Rey struggled to get breaths. She felt the droid rolling up against her and nudging her.

"Get up." It repeated. "Get up."

"Scavenger?" she heard a deep voice and saw a pair of black boots come into view.

"Kylo?" she tasted blood dripping into her mouth. "I'm fine. Don't touch me." She would not submit, not again, not after last night. She had promised herself. She had expected pain, expected anger. She had just expected mind games, nothing physical. "I'm getting up." She growled at the droid. She pushed her hands to the floor and boosted herself up. She staggered a bit and fell against the wall. The room was doing loopty loops.

"Come on." She heard Kylo beckoning her. "I'm taking you back now." Rey put one foot in front of the other, trying for the life of her to remember where she was and how to walk. Kylo watched as she stumbled around. He couldn't bare to see her like this. Her nose was bleeding badly and he knew that one side of her face would be completely black and blue the next day. She needed help. "Scavenger."

"Stop." Rey pushed his offered hand away. "Just obey that pretentious snob like you always do and take me back."

"I take orders from Snoke and that's it." Kylo hated it when she questioned his status aboard his own ship.

"Then why did you leave? You clearly could have stayed. I see your mind. I look awful don't I? I feel awful too, trust me. And now you feel guilty. I see it. So maybe if you didn't want to feel guilty you wouldn't let your people do stuff like this." She gestured to her face.

"I don't feel guilty and I certainly don't owe you any sort of apology. Hux let things get out of hand. He could've gotten information other ways. But you're alive and you're a traitor. This is how things are." Kylo replied coolly.

"I'm well aware how things are." Rey sniffed and began to cough and put her hand out on a chair to keep herself from falling.

"Can you walk?" Kylo looked at her skeptically. She didn't look too good. "You don't look very stable."

"I'm fine." Rey insisted and let go of the chair. "See? I'm not some weak daffodil that you can just push around."

"I never said you were." Kylo Ren responded quietly and Rey froze at that. She tucked the words away automatically to think about them later when she was bored out of her mind again. But suddenly the boringness of her cell appealed to her. At least in her cell she didn't get beat up. "He got your shoulder." She felt a leather glove brush over her shoulder and instantly fire erupted in it again, reawakening the once numbed pain.

"G-OUCH!" Rey cried and shoved him away. "God, that hurts, don't touch it!" she shrieked and Kylo backed away.

"Come on. Move." Kylo challenged and he watched her pained face as she took step. He watched her eyes cross then fall back into place. She wasn't gonna make it another step. He crossed his arms and watched her smugly. No one that got zapped by the First Order's stun guns could recover that quickly. He was surprised she was still conscious.

"Stop looking at me like that. What's so funny?"

"Waiting to see you collapse." Kylo Ren smiled and watched as Rey took another weak step, her legs quivering. For a moment he saw her legs somewhere else, on his sheets, hips bare and shaking with ecstasy. His mind snapped back to the present right as Rey stumbled, knocked over a chair and Ren threw his arms out with lightning speed, just in time before her head hit the floor.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

For the second time since she had been brought aboard the second Starkiller Base, Rey had lost consciousness. And she saw this as a very big stab to her pride. She had trained for months with Luke on endurance, strength, and the ability to withstand harsh treatment. She was better than this. Especially having Kylo Ren watching her every move, how was she supposed to prove that she in fact could hold through whatever they threw at her?

The first thing Rey felt as she slowly began to regain consciousness was the fact that she was very warm. And she was also very soaked. And she was also coughing down large amounts of water. She sat up quickly, sputtering and wiping at her face.

"What the-" she looked up and saw Kylo Ren towering over her, hand on a shower handle and water turned on full blast. "What do you think you're doing?" she gasped as more water hit her in the face.

"Waking you up." He replied dully.

"You couldn't think of some other way?" Rey growled and looked down at her soaked clothes. She knew that as soon as she got out of the commode, she'd freeze to death.

"You were bleeding." Kylo Ren reminded her. She remembered the beating she'd taken from Hux and huffed. "How's your shoulder?"

"Little sore." She lied. "Maybe if you-" she got cut off as water dribbled into her eyes and down her throat. She started coughing again. "Turn it off!" she cried as she choked gaspy breaths. She had never been in a shower before, only heard about them. So far they were awful. Kylo chuckled and turned the handle down and the water ceased. Rey sat back against the tiled wall. "How long was I out?"

"Something like ten minutes." He replied and walked out into the main part of the bathroom floor. "You're gonna have to get up."

"I'm not a baby. I'm capable of standing." She hissed indignantly and helped herself slowly up by holding onto the shower handle, careful not to turn it at all. She didn't want to experience that again.

"You weren't capable ten minutes ago."

"I feel like I had a good reason then. I'd been tazed and beaten across the face with a gun. How's my face look?!" she asked suddenly and pushed him aside as she stumbled to a mirror above the sink. She wiped the fog away and groaned as she saw the red stains under her nose and on one of her cheekbones. Her cheeks were sallow and an unattractive yellow color. She was famished and parched. Under her eyes was turning blue and all sorts of bruises had formed arbitrarily along her arms and legs she assumed from when she was first thrown by Kylo's ship.

"Personally, I think it's an upgrade from your old look." He chuckled and watched as she turned around, anger flashing in her eyes.

"Says the guy who has a giant scar across his face. The one I put there!" she cried and threw her fist as hard as she could. He caught it easily, giving her a bored expression.

"Don't fight me. We both know how that will end. Besides, you and I both know you're weak." Rey frowned and yanked her fist away. "Part of the reason why I haven't cuffed you yet. You aren't very dangerous right now."

"I'm insulted." She grumbled. "But you'd be weak too if you hadn't eaten in days."

"The guards didn't send the meal down?" he asked, confusion written on his face. Rey looked at him for sarcasm. She saw none.

"What meal?"

"Breakfast?"

"I saw no one and nothing until you got me." She shrugged. "Why?" a lethal look flashed across his face.

"Move." He pushed her out of the way and she stumbled against the sink, wincing as her bruised hip came in contact with the porcelain appliance.

"What am I supposed to do? I'm your prisoner!" she called as he stepped out into his room, Rey recognized as she followed him, from the night before.

"I'm locking the door." He called back. "And I'm leaving TG-5 with you." He added and was gone.

"Who the heck is TG-5?!" she yelled at the closed door. She huffed. She had no clue how to deal with this.

"You're a-wake." A choppy droid voice startled her and she watched as a short, round droid, not as small as BB-8, but definitely shorter than a stormtrooper, rolled over next to her. "I am TG-5." It announced, it's voice sounded strangely feminine, but Rey saw that on her tags the gender was not specified.

"Um, nice to meet you." Rey nodded curtly, still skeptical of what this droid was going to do.

"My master left orders for me to take care of you when he is away." The droid explained.

"Your master?"

"Kylo Ren." It replied and beeped a few times to show its appreciation. "He asked for me to have you clean up and provide some new clothes for you."

"Why? I'm a prisoner." Rey frowned.

"My master is concerned for your health." TG-5 rolled back to the bathroom door. "And with good reason. Look at you." Rey looked herself over and had to admit that she probably had seen better days. "Come. First a shower."

"Nuh uh!" Rey shook her head. "I'm not going back in there."

"You prefer to bathe?" the droid asked innocently.

"Very much so."

"Showers are very nice I hear." It promised. "And quite simple. Please try it. You will feel much better after, I assure you."

"No."

"Fine. But when Master gets back you will answer to him." It rolled back into the room and began to make the bed, it's metal arms sticking out and fixing rumpled corners and twisted blankets. Rey sighed.

"Fine. But I'm not staying in long."

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"I had it prearranged that she would receive breakfast!" Kylo Ren yelled at Hux, inconceivable that Hux would starve the girl.

"You are too easy on her." Hux growled back. "You forget what she destroyed. You look in the mirror everyday. How do you think of her and not want revenge?"

"Revenge in good time." Ren began to pace the command deck where the two had been left alone after Ren had stormed in and thrown his lightsaber into one of the electrical gauges and scared the crew away. "Luke Skywalker is our revenge. And in order to find him, we need her. We can't have her weak and dying. She needs strength for what I have planned for her."

"Your mind methods are not nearly as convincing as pure physical methods." Hux assured Ren. But Ren would have none of it.

"I just need more time! Our plan was to read the girl, not starve her!"

"Why are you so concerned with her health? What's she to you?"

"She is our only lead to Skywalker!" Ren replied. "Isn't that obvious?"

"I believe you are letting your personal interests interfere with your mission again." He sighed. "And you remember what happened last time."

"This is nothing like that!" he exploded defensively. "And that scavenger has nothing to do with my personal interests!"

"I may not be able to read your mind, Ren, but I can read your eyes."

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"And that scavenger has nothing to do with my personal interests!" Kylo's voice rang through Rey's head as she dried off, the heat lamp in the commode pleasing her very much. She realized that the stronger she got, the Force bond was slowly rekindling. It almost made her want to injure herself again. Almost. She pondered the words she had heard Ren's angry voice shouting.

"Your clothes." TG-5 chanted as it rolled in, its metal arms extended with a pair of knee length black pants and a black wrap to go over it on top. Rey also spied some underthings sticking out of the pants. She thanked her lucky stars.

"Thank you." Rey muttered and accepted the clothes. She would not admit to the droid that it had been right, the shower had felt amazing and for once her hair was not perpetually doomed to be greasy and her skin felt softer than ever. The warm water drumming on her back had been absolute heaven to Rey. For a while she had forgotten where she was. "Is your master back yet?"

"He will be soon I believe." The droid responded casually. "Better get dressed." It rolled out, the door sliding shut behind it and Rey was left to slide into the comfortable clothes. Of course many people would think them scratchy and ugly, but Rey was just happy to be wearing pants again.

"Scavenger!" she heard a booming voice. That must be Ren. She sighed and opened the door, preparing herself to go back to the cell, back to Hux, or face some other torture. The moments of relief had been short-lived. What she did not expect to see was a table set with a small bowl of rice and three small pieces of meat sitting on top of that. It was set for two, but only one place had food at it. Rey stopped just outside the commode door. She looked at the droid as it poured water into two glasses and then back at Ren who was looking at her intently.

Kylo Ren was mesmerized. When she had stepped out of the commode, his heart had stopped for a few moments. She looked so much more radiant now that the grime and grease and sweat was gone. She looked happier, her brows not drawn down so deeply, her eyes a shade lighter, he body no longer sagging. The warm water had done her good. And she also looked much more comfortable in the new clothes. Then he noticed her staring at him in confusion and he straightened up. "Eat!" he ordered and pointed to the table.

"That's for me?" she asked in a cynical tone. "Who poisoned it?"

"Stop being ungrateful and eat it. It's perfectly fine. I'd eat it myself but I'll be eating later tonight." He rolled his eyes and motioned for her to sit. She walked over carefully, suspicious of why she suddenly got food.

"TG-5, please do a poison scan of the food for me." She asked suddenly and the robot looked at its master.

"Do it." He gestured to the food. "So she'll see how stupid she's being." He huffed and walked to his bed and removed his mask that he had put on first thing in the morning. He hated the thing, but it did come in handy at times. Like intimidating Hux and adding power to his aura. Rey stared as he sat down across from her, food already in her mouth after TG-5 had cleared it. She obviously was examining the scar on his face, her thoughts bright and easy to read, apparently in her need for food she had forsaken her duties to keep up her mind barriers. She was appalled by her first very good look at the scar down his face. He could see that she was struggling with an intense desire to run her fingers along it. And he wanted her to.

"Stop reading my mind." She suddenly spoke up, startling him. TG-5 was already refilling her water glass. "It's rude to read your dinner guests' minds." She scolded and he saw that though she was not smiling, her tone was one of general lightness.

"It's kind of my job." He replied curtly.

"It's not fair. You just have to sit here and look at me while I have to eat."

"Would you rather the food be sent away?" he asked, a smug smiled tugging at his mouth. Rey frowned at him.

"I hate that smile."

"Glad to hear it." He replied and took a small sip of his own water as she finished the meat and began to finish the last bits of rice.

"So let me guess, you're returning me to a semi-healthy state so when you torture me it will be all the more painful and degrading?" she asked, voice dripping with cynicism.

"Hm, interesting proposition." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Is that what you'd like me to do?" she just frowned again and he watched as her eyes traced the scar again. He suddenly became very uncomfortable. He could see it in her eyes. The scar was setting her off. She was…afraid. He stood up quickly and went back over to put his mask back on. When he returned to the table, Rey's eyes were trained completely on her food. She said nothing. The droid dutifully took the dishes away and Rey still had not said a thing. Her mind barriers had been restored with power and Ren knew she was working very hard to keep him out. She was thinking very deeply.

"Sir, it's late." TG-5 spoke up, reminding Ren of the time. He had lost track of how many minutes they had been sitting in silence. Rey looked up at this and looked around the room as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep. Then she looked at Kylo expectantly. He hated to see her be treated badly again, but he had a mission and Hux was right. He had to focus and just because he had a connection with her did not meant he got to skip out on his orders or plans. She was just another block in his path that he had to crack. And he would crack her.

"Send for a trooper to bind her and return her to her cell." He instructed TG-5 and excused himself out into the hallway and down to the training center where he suspected he'd spend a long night working off his pent up anger and confusion while the girl lay curled up in her cell, counting the metal dots that line the floor. He sighed and the image of the look on her face as he had left the room reappeared in his mind. She did not look surprised at all. She seemed to look right through him as if, he too, was just another stone in her way that she had to surpass.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"Déjà vu," Rey sighed grumpily as she awoke to find herself back in the interrogation chair, hands bolted down and a masked Kylo Ren staring her down. "Aren't we getting a little old for this?"

"Be quiet." He snapped and she fell silent, watching him curiously. What did he think he could find by torturing her again? Obviously she could counter his mind probing and she also had no clue where Luke was. Like him hurting her was gonna get them anywhere. She'd been shut up in her cell for the past two days, only leaving it to be transported to a new cell with a commode attached to it so she could spend even more time locked up. Joy. It had been almost five days since she'd been brought aboard the First Order's ship and she had begun to count the days just like back on Jakku on the dark walls in her cell. It wasn't a pleasant pastime. "Where do we begin?"

"I don't know what you think you will accomplish by trying this again. Remember how that worked last time?" she shrugged and saw his hands curl into fists at his side. She knew how to get under his skin. And she loved to do it. But other than his fists, he remained calm, not laying a finger on her.

"It will not work." He replied calmly. "You must remember who has more experience here."

"You may have more experience, but it's built on shaky ground." She countered. "Mine is based on truth, good will, and determination."

"And then what is mine based off of?" he asked, crossing his arms, leaning against the wall opposite of her.

"Fear, anger, regret, the hunger for power, scared of being weak, destroying your mistakes instead of facing them." She replied in confidence, relieved to finally tell him just what she thought of him. Well, maybe not everything she thought of him.

"Destroying a mistake is better than letting it haunt you forever."

"Then why am I still here?" her voice floated around them, soft words, but oh so heavy. Before the silence could get awkward, Rey was thrown back in the chair and she felt her barriers bending in response to his outstretched hand. She had made him angry. She grunted under the pressure and felt her forehead breaking out in a sweat. She tried to remember every single pointer Luke had given her about keeping him out. Stay calm. Think of the ocean. Think of the island. Count the stairs. How many were there? She was having trouble remembering.

"Stronger than last time." He mused. Her eyes which had been shut tightly in concentration were forced open. She felt the water backing up behind her irises. It was painful. She watched in fear as he began to take his mask off. No. Not the mask. With the mask on, she could pretend he was someone else, something else. And he knew it would be her weakness. She tried as hard as her life permitted to shut her eyes, but he was just too strong. She cried out in frustration, cussing at him and fighting against her restraints. Nothing worked. He removed the mask and set it delicately on its pedestal. He kept his gaze at his feet. She felt her body beginning to shake. Once he looked up, everything would be gone. "But not strong enough." He looked up, his deep voice, echoing off the walls. That voice. The mask ruined it. It was so smooth, like dark chocolate. It was manly, strong and every time she heard it, the slight crackle in his throat, her spine would straighten itself a fraction more. And her eyes forced open, he forced her head straight at him. And she looked into his eyes. And everything else ceased to exist. She looked into his eyes in fear, the light and dark brown connecting, losing herself in the pure depth of his gaze. The room faded, she felt her entire body heating up. It was the Force bond. It did this to them. She saw it affected him also, but he was obviously handling it so much better than she was. Her body was frozen and she saw snowflakes falling behind those dark eyes, saw a girl…was that her? She saw the girl staring forlornly out at the ocean.

"Leave me alone." She heard her own voice, but it wasn't in her mind. It was in his.

"I try." His voice replied, out loud, to her, and to her vision. She inhaled sharply. The vision changed showing her as she fell down the steps, cutting her arm open. She felt the pain he felt all over again as her arm was ripped down the side.

"You like the sound of my voice, and my long fingers intrigue you." She saw his lips mouthing the words along with the vision. She saw her horrified face in his eyes, the face of one caught in the headlights. She knew that what he had said was true.

"Ben!" Rey heard a woman's voice calling as the vision faded to a warm hut, the inside smelling of good food, fresh meat soup. "Come for dinner!" it was Leia. The visions faded and she was lost once again in just the essence of him. The cotton candy feeling, floating, coated in soft, not thinking, not moving, just….there. But with him. Together. And then she felt the shivering of her body and she realized that it was convulsing in weakness. She began to gasp for air. And then he dropped his hand and her head collapsed, no longer forced into position. Her eyelids fell shut, exhausted and stiff. She heaved in mouthfuls of air and heard him breathing rapidly across the room. And by the feeling of emptiness, exposure she felt, she knew he had seen parts of her that she had seen of him. She had let him in again. But for once, she knew what it was like to truly see in return. She had expected it to be horrific, terrifying to see into the mind of such a monster. But it was like watching a child run through a meadow in slow motion. Serene and…intriguing. She had pieces of him now, just as he had pieces of her. And she didn't know how to feel now. She felt as if she had lost a best friend. But she had also gained feelings, experiences that she had never had.

Neither spoke a word. What could they say? Eventually Kylo reached over and fumbled to quickly put his mask back on. Immediately Rey's bindings were unlocked and she stumbled to the floor, still shaking at the intensity of the connection. She breathed in the dust particles off the shiny floor. She saw her hands in front of her, her fingers clenching and unclenching, bringing feeling back into her appendages. What all had he seen?

"What…wh-what did you see?" Rey gasped and stuttered finally as she groped her way up the chair to make herself stand, never to be seen as weak by the enemy. His masked face was looking at the ground, his breathing uneven and shaky. He hadn't been expecting me to read back, Rey realized. He thought it would be a one way thing like it used to be. Not anymore.

"Why did you do that?!" he exploded and Rey backed herself up to the far wall, next to the door, not expecting the outburst.

"I didn't try!" she felt anger boiling inside of her. He had a right to get mad at her for reading his mind even though he did it all the time to her? How was that fair?! He was fuming, his chest rising and falling quickly under his robes. And just as his hand flashed up, she was being pinned against the wall again, her neck held stiff by the Force he was initiating, her feet slowly being lifted off the ground. Her hands flew to her neck and she began to see stars. "You're…you're a monster!" she choked out, clawing at her neck to get the invisible hands away. She focused her energy, decision made of what it was time to do. Within the next few seconds, she flashed one of his memories back to him, the one of his mother calling him to dinner and it disoriented him. He loosened his grip as he lost focus for the moment. Of course now he knew she had seen that, he would hate her even more, but she had to chance it. In the moment of distraction, she dove at him, his hand coming down, the Force gone completely, freeing her airways and enabling her to attack. They fell backwards onto the floor, her on top, and as they hit the ground, she ran her face straight into his mask, subconsciously knowing that her lip would probably swell from that blow. But her advantage was short-lived as soon he had flipped her over and his lightsaber was engaged and held two inches from her neck, the heat radiating off of it, the sparks singing her clothes. She tried to believe that he wouldn't kill her. He hadn't yet.

"Never try that again." He threated, his lightsaber still on.

"I want my lightsaber back!" Rey growled and in disdain watched him laugh and turn his saber off, still chuckling.

"That's rich." He shook his head. "Yeah, you're a prisoner. A Jedi no less! Stupid scavenger, you aren't getting that thing back anytime soon."

"Unfair advantage. You want me dead. I want you dead. So see this is unfair. You have your saber but I don't have mine. How are we supposed to settle this?"

"Easy. I kill you." He replied.

"You're sure taking a long time."

"I like to draw it out. Cat and mouse."

"That's your excuse?"

"You forget that I'm much bigger than you and now I'm on top of you. Just because I can't kill you due to informational means, doesn't mean I can't resort to physical means like Hux." He reminded her smartly. Rey now took the time to realize that she was pinned, his legs on either side of her hips, laying the cold floor, metal pressing into her back and the looming evil figure had complete control. And for a millisecond, the innate desire that he would move his hips just a little, feel the friction, drove her insane. And then she was refocusing, the thought gone with the wind.

"You wouldn't."

"What makes so sure?"

"Because, Kylo Ren," she replied confidently, "I don't care what anyone says about you. I don't care who you work for, I don't care what your past looks like. In this moment, I know I can trust you not to leave me with a bloody nose."

"How?"

"It's just the same as you looking at me and knowing that even though I had the chance to kill you back in the snow. But you knew I wouldn't. You don't know quite why and neither do I, same as the fact that you won't torture me. You don't know why you won't, but you won't all the same."

"I don't torture you because I can't. The Force is too strong in you." He scoffed.

"Ok. Then hit me." She challenged. She saw him tense at her request. "You can't! And you want to know why? Maybe you can't see it, but I can. You know when you can't hurt me, when you tense up when you think of hurting me, I see Ben." The moment she said that though she regretted it. This time, he didn't refrain. One of his hands clutched at her windpipe. She kept her gaze on his mask, using every ounce of strength not to gasp for air.

"Ben Solo is dead. I have no connection to him. Right now I do not kill you for I am under orders to use you to find Skywalker. But the more you say things like that, the more you push my patience."

"What patience?" she choked and he got up quickly, dragging himself quickly across her hips and up. Rey bit her lip to keep from moaning. She told herself it was the relief for air again that she did this. Kylo Ren took deep breaths as he stood up, the feeling of her hips under his still tingling in his core. He was definitely hard and he regretted letting it get that far. Now there was no going back and obviously he wasn't getting anything from her. He watched as she laid on the floor, a strange look on her face. Rey frowned. She missed the wait, the warmth of him on her. She bit her lip harder, punishing herself for these thoughts. As she stood, a Stormtrooper came in to escort her back to her cell. She looked over her shoulder on her way out and saw Ren, saber ignited again and just as the door shut she heard an awful crashing of metal and saw the light flashing a bright red under the door. She was very glad she was no longer in his presence.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Rey frowned as she was shown into Kylo Ren's room again by a droid. She had spent one more day in her cell, visited once by a Stormtrooper with her meal which she had not touched (she refused to show weakness by refusing the food that she desperately needed) and then once by a droid that reassessed her injuries and took inventory of her health. It was late evening by the time she was shown to his room, completely beyond her what he wanted this time.

"TG-5." Rey acknowledged the droid that rolled around its master's chamber, sweeping as it did so. "I didn't know you were here." She grunted as the droid nudged her into the room and shut the door firmly behind her. She frowned to herself. Her wrists had been rubbed raw now, her arms constantly in cuffs.

"You look better." The droid chanted as it finished its cleaning and began to straighten the bed sheets again. "My master should be here soon." Rey sighed and made her way over to the windows that had the blinds drawn down tightly over them. He had the best view of the galaxy, giant glass windows (blasterproof of course) that would exhibit every sparkling star. And he kept them closed. Rey couldn't believe it. He really was a cold person.

"Why does he keep them closed?" she asked, unaware that she had muttered it aloud.

"General Hux requests that all blinds be kept shut." The droid replied. "My master otherwise would very much enjoy to have them open."

"That's a surprise." Rey muttered.

"You do not think well of him?" The droid barely picked up on her tones, its capability to understand human nature very limited.

"Not especially." Rey tried not to explode on the droid, reminding herself that it was innocent and unaware of the monster it served.

"He is an unusual man." The droid continued into the commode and she heard the sound of running water and began to smell a strong chemical odor waft from the commode. She assumed that was what cleaning chemicals smelled like. "But once you are used to him, he is quite amiable." Rey almost busted up laughing. She held her side to keep the tears of laughter from coming to her eyes.

"Are you unaware of all the things he's done?" Rey couldn't keep herself from countering the droid and explaining in depth what kind of person Kylo Ren was.

"My master's business is his business alone."

"That doesn't mean you don't know about it." Rey sensed the faulty logic of the droid's statement. "You probably hear an awful lot working for him."

"I see many sides of him." The droid admitted.

"I only see one." Rey lied. "I see the evil."

"You are short-sighted then." The droid snapped as it rolled back out into the room, startling Rey. "He came to Hux a passionate, ambitious boy. I believe that that boy is still with him."

"He is beyond help. He's ruined." Rey shook her head. "Don't you see who you work for? You work for a monster! He kills!"

"Without him, you would be dead, Hux having killed you a long while ago."

"He plans to kill me." Rey explained. "He just wants me to get my master."

"TG-5!" Kylo Ren's booming voice snapped the girl and the droid from their intense argument and they both looked up in fear. He stood in the doorway. "Get back to work."

"Don't blame the droid!" Rey snapped, suddenly inexplicably angry at him. "I was talking to it first! Imagine how lonely it gets shut up in here all day, doing your work and you never say thank you! Selfish, spoiled! I know your mother raised you better than that! How dare you judge others when the blame should fall wholly on your shoulders for everything you've done, everything you've ruined!" she shrieked, her fury building and building. "I hate it here! I don't know a thing of my master and I don't know what you want with him and I don't know why you still have me here! Just kill me already! I'm sick of sitting around in my cell all day, doing nothing! And TG-5 here says you're compassionate and good. Ha! You see me? How do you do it?! How?" her voice was beginning to croak from her screaming. "How do you justify all the horrible things you do? What is so great that this order accomplishes that you are willing to kill the innocent over, harm women and younglings? I know your parents instilled higher values in you than that! And you know what?! Even Anakin Skywalker was better than you! He saved Luke, saved the Resistance! You want to be like him!? You're doing a horrible job!"

"Anything else?!" he yelled back, fists clenched and masked face trained on her.

"I promised Leia there was good in you!" Rey's voice cracked. "I stood up for you. Yoda knows why but I did! And now I understand Padme! I understand our connection! Because being near you is such a contrast: a balance of pure hatred for the awful things you do and stand for, and then a simple, pulsing love. I look at you and I see the light that still rests in your eyes, when that horrid mask comes off."

"I cannot believe you!" Ren exploded, as TG-5 retreated into a droid-shaped hole in the wall, leaving the two to fight alone. "Do you know what my mission is? To kill you! You should be dead by now! I have spared your life so many times! But I cannot kill you! And it is infuriating! No matter what I tell myself, no matter what I do, I see you. I see you everywhere in everything! You are my other half. Without you, I would cease to exist. Your horrific values of light are what continue to make me question my quest as part of the First Order. And yet I know that if I killed you, I would find myself completely absorbed in the First Order, but never again will I have my balance."

"So what are you saying?" Rey looked down at her cuffed hands that were now red from her squeezing against the restraints in her anger.

"Rey, I have never been more dependent on another soul in my life." He growled. "Even when I was just from my mother's womb, I was not so dependent on her as I am now on you. I cannot kill you." He finished and with that he removed his mask. She looked away, scared of what she would see. "You never want to look." He observed quietly.

"I don't want to see what I did." She replied.

"The scar?" he remembered and slowly walked over to her. "You feel guilty?"

"No." She replied quickly, begging him with her mind not come closer.

"You're afraid to look." He read. "Because you know when you do, you will no longer be able to control the bond. It has a mind of its own. It is a combination of your light and my dark. That's why it found us and linked us. Is because we are the balance of the universe."

"You don't know what you're talking about." She refused adamantly.

"Scavenger." He reached out and she felt her chin tingling where he was about to touch. His fingers collided with her skin and she felt the heat start at her chin and begin to rush throughout her body. He began to tilt her head up slowly, carefully. "Look at me."

"Let me go!" she cried and tried to move, but he stopped her, his mind holding her in place. Curse his mind, she growled to herself.

"You know you want to. Look." He commanded and before she could control herself, her eyes flashed open and she took in the face that had been branded in her memory for so long now. A face she loved and hated equally, a face she feared and craved so passionately. She had never felt it before. Immediately her cuffs fell off and she watched them clatter to the floor. She looked back up at him as he took her hands and brought them to his face, brushing them along the scar that marred his face in half. She looked away. "You wish you had not done it." He perceived.

"I wish for you to leave me alone." She replied hoarsely already guilty for letting him control her like this.

"You know that can't happen."

"I know." She whispered. She looked back up at him, her hands freezing on the scar. She grimaced and began to trace it. It was like her fingers had a plan that her mind had not formulated. "So what are you going to do about it?" she added, not sure if she spoke the words or if she just posed the question to his mind. But they stood there, her fingers on his face, her wrists raw from the cuffs, looking at one another in confusion, as if the world had tilted slightly off its axis and there was no going back.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, his deep eyes searching hers. And suddenly, she was aware of where this was leading. And she wasn't able to control it. She felt her heart speed up. She knew a moment like this would come. Knew that this would eventually happen. She just hadn't expected it to be this soon, this sudden. She always thought it would be so easy to say no, be rid of him because of the monster he was. But the more she looked at him, the more she lost her sense to the frozen feel of her mind, his emptions combining with hers to lock up what they knew to be right and force them together to appease the bond.

"Kiss me." She knew the words would come. She knew what she wanted. She knew what she should be doing and this was not it. But it was going to happen. And right then, she was tired of fighting it. And then he was leaning in and her head exploded in heat, light, and color. She gasped sharply against his lips as he wrapped his arms protectively around her back and lifted her onto his toes to reach him with more ease. When she gripped onto his shoulders to steady herself she felt him softly groan against her lips which sent her heart fluttering. She didn't care anymore. She didn't care what he had done, who was for which side. This was what was supposed to happen in this moment right then.

"Scavenger." He pulled back, breathless, his nickname for her a compliment this time instead of an insult. She looked into his eyes, no longer afraid of what she might see. For the time being, she didn't care. Nothing mattered in that moment except the two of them. And she was going to take advantage of that.

He watched her eyes with fierce curiosity as she bit her lip a moment, contemplating what had just happened. As for him he knew that singlehandedly had just been the best moment of his life. And if she gave the word, he would give her more. Whatever she wanted. Right now was all about them.

"I want you." She breathed, out loud, her breath gaspy and sweet. It was music to his ears. She heard the door lock shut behind them and he scooped her up, her legs coming immediately to wrap around his waist. He walked them over to his bed and laid her down gently on the sheets. She hadn't even realized he possessed such care. He sat back up and examined the best way to get her robes off. He wanted them gone right then. "Rip them." She startled him by speaking.

"What?" a smile pricked at the corner of his mouth. She blushed lightly and muttered again,

"I said rip them." He was happy to oblige. He sat her up and with his strong fists took the fabric at her back and ripped it easily down her spine, the sound of the fabric being destroyed exciting him even more. She shimmied her pants off and when they had both stopped, she bowed her head in embarrassment.

"Don't do that." He ordered and she looked back up at him. "Don't be ashamed." She blinked a few times and then rolled forward began to yank at his cloak and robes. She cussed lightly under her breath, making him chuckle. "Impatient are we?"

"Shut up." She hissed as he stripped off the last layer on his upper body. When she saw his chest again, broad shoulders, strong arms, knowing this time she was free to touch him and hold him, all she wanted to was feel him on her and never let him go. The farther they got, the more impatient and rough they became. His pants were off in a flash, leaving him in only a pair of black shorts and he began to eye Rey's bra and panties. He wanted them off. But he would take his sweet time doing it. If he couldn't get inside her mind to torture her, he'd torture her a different way.

"Nice fabric." He commented, his husky voice brushing by her ear as he ran his long finger lightly over the waistband of her panties. She inhaled sharply and snapped her eyes to his. "Very nice." He let his fingers glide gently under the shorts, then back out before they could dip too low. Her hips rocked on the mattress once and he looked at her with a triumphant face. "Just let me know when you give in."

"Just touch me!" she cried helplessly. He loved to see her like this. At his mercy. But not yet. He wanted her to beg for him.

"Mm, no no." he shook his head and fiddled playfully with one of her bra straps. "That's not the proper way to ask."

"If you're implying I say please, I-oh God!" she gasped as he sucked lightly on her neck. He had remembered. And she loved him for it.

"I don't want you to _say_ please." He replied as he left her neck and reached under her to undo the bra. "I want you to _beg._ " He instructed. She grunted as the fabric of her bra was brushed away, flying off to a forgotten part of the room. Her chest was rising and falling, a heat building down between her legs. So this was his torture. "Where feels good?" he asked as his lips trailed down her chest and paused above her left breast. She moaned. "Ah." He chided. "I see." He lifted his mouth and looked down at her helpless form. Then he placed his fingers at the top of her chest and trailed them ever-so-teasingly down her chest, just in between her breasts and down onto her stomach. She raised her hips again as his fingers paused right above her underwear and then stopped. Her eyes flashed open and he could see the exasperation so clearly written on her face.

"Ugh!" she growled. "Come on!"

"Not the way to ask." He taunted as his fingers traveled back up the same route.

"You're so annoying!"

"What was that?"

"Un, ugh, unah." She grunted and gasped as his fingertips graced her ribs.

"That's what I thought." He replied haughtily. "Any time you say it, I'm ready." He reminded her. In fact, he was more than ready, already painfully hard at watching her struggle for release.

"I..I can't." she gasped.

"But you can." He whispered and to add the finishing touch, he pressed her wrists down on the bed to hold her still and positioned his legs on either side of her hips, then lowered himself onto her, making sure she could feel him through their layers. She cried out, whimpering and writhing under him. She gasped his name multiple times, each breathy. "I'm ready to hear it."

"P-please!" she cried and he knew he had her right where he wanted her. He lifted himself up to remove her underwear and they were gone with the bra. He knew that ordinarily she would be embarrassed to be seen like this, reading her mind he knew she was slightly uncomfortable of what he thought of her, but she was also too lost in bliss to care.

"Beautiful." He whispered reassuringly to her through their connection and removed his shorts. She watched him with lazy eyes as he ran his fingers up her leg and to the inside of her hip. She was begging him with those eyes, the eyes he had fallen for the moment he had looked into them. And now they were begging for him. What had happened?

"Ren." She breathed and he remembered where he was and what he was doing. And he began to finger her lightly, preparing her. She moaned and whimpered, sometimes his name, sometimes words that he wasn't even sure were actually words. He loved what he had turned her into in the last mere minutes. What was a minute even? With Rey, time was no more. It was the best thing he had ever experienced. And it was only beginning. He was worried as he felt how tight she was. She was so tiny and he didn't want to hurt her. He knew she had read this in him when she stopped whimpering and looked up at him. Only kindness was on her face. "I trust you." The three simple words held one of the deepest meanings to him that anyone had ever spoken. She trusted him.

"I don't want to hurt…."

"I want this. I want you." She shook her head and brushed a hand across his cheek. "I need you." He nodded and spread her legs farther apart. He felt her mentally brace herself and he slowly entered her. And she felt the pain. He was bigger than she had expected, also not realizing how small she herself was. But also she felt something she had never felt before. She felt…complete. And then she realized. It was the balance. They were one. They were together, they completed each other. And now they were one and the same. She didn't know about tomorrow or the day before this one, she only knew that right then, he was hers and she was his and for the first time she felt balance in the Force. Complete, whole balance. And then she felt his hands brushing her cheeks. There were tears on them. "You aren't hurting me." She reassured him. "Keep going." He nodded hesitantly and slowly pulled out. Then pushed back in again, slightly deeper this time. And she reached out to grip his shoulders, her legs sprawled out behind him. And then he realized he might get to see his vision of her quivering legs for real tonight. And he began to thrust. And the next time she met him halfway, rolling her hips up at him. He groaned out her name and he watched her delicate hands slide firmly down his arms, leaving marks. He could feel her bliss, their extreme pleasure radiating back and forth to the other, nowhere else for it to go except between the two of them, driving them completely out of their minds. He could feel her slowly losing herself. He knew she was close. But he wanted her to get the most out of it. While she lay a helpless lump, he leaned down and scooped her up, sitting them both up so their chests were pressed together. Her legs spread even wider and he went even deeper than he knew possible, hitting that one spot for her.

"Ben Solo I love you so much!" she cried, not even caring if she used his forbidden name. And he didn't care either. He felt himself lose it as the scene of her quivering legs, thighs now weak, lay limp on either side of his hips. They collapsed back into laying down and after catching their breaths he pulled gently out of her as she hissed through her teeth. He had a feeling she'd be sore tomorrow. But he wouldn't think about tomorrow. All that mattered was the here and now. He rolled them over she was laying on top of him and he pulled the sheets up over them. Her head laid lightly down on his chest and her hair tickled the bottom of his chin. He felt her chest rising and falling on his own, leaving herself completely at his disposal, but trusting him enough to know that she was safe.

"Scavenger?" he breathed quietly.

"Mm?" she replied sleepily, a dreamy voice that immediately made him love her ten times more.

"Did we really just do that?"

"Mmhmm." She mumbled and he saw her smile, her lashes resting gently on her cheeks.

"You know this doesn't change anything." He reminded her, a bit of reality sinking in.

"Shhh." She nuzzled her face into his chest and wrapped her arms under his back. "It does change something. It changes how I feel about you." She admitted. He smiled when she said that.

"Never thought I'd hear the scavenger say that."

"Don't make a big deal." She rolled her eyes.

"I always felt this way about you." He promised and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "I guess it just took tonight to make me believe it."

"Mm, good night Ben." She murmured and ran a hand through his dark hair before resting it lightly on his chest. He didn't even care what she called him. Tonight, she could have whatever she wanted from him and he'd love her just the same. In fact, he knew no matter what he'd love her just the same. They couldn't take this night back now and he wouldn't want to. No matter what came, they always had this night. They would always be united by this action. Tomorrow they may wake up and feel the hate again. They may have to serve opposite masters. But they would always have tonight with them, a part of them, forever.

"Good night, Rey."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Rey no longer knew where she was. She had felt a shift in the Force at what she assumed was halfway through the night. She now felt cold and very tired. She didn't have the strength to open her eyes, didn't want to. Opening her eyes meant facing reality and facing reality meant facing what she had done the night before. She had given herself to the man that had killed his father. She had given herself freely. And she would forever be ashamed of it. But part of her still held firm.

"You are ashamed, but you do not regret." Her voice whispered to her. "That man was not Kylo Ren. It was Ben." She clung to the thoughts. She hoped and prayed that she could bury it for the rest of her life. She wanted to forget, blot it out. She was confused and tired of fighting the conflicting feelings for that man that she had been battling. She was tired of trying to sort them out.

"Wake," she felt a force pulling at her eyes, daring her to open them. "Wake."

"Master?" she felt a presence she had not sensed in a good while. "Luke?"

"Child." A soft hand brushed her face. It was not Luke. It was Leia. Rey realized this with a start. She was not in Kylo Ren's room, buried into his chest, hands playing with his hair, his fingers rubbing circles on her ribs. She was laying on a firm mat, the shaky feeling of a small ship underneath her. And she accepted the emptiness she now felt. Kylo Ren was no longer near. She snapped her eyes open.

"Leia!" she gasped. She looked around and saw Leia and Finn looking down at her, concern flowing from their gazes. "Finn!"

"Rey!" Finn reached out and grabbed her, immediately sending waves of pain through her. She hissed and Finn pulled back. "What hurts? What did he do to you?" Fire flared in Finn's eyes. Rey suddenly felt defensive. He had not hurt her. He had been gentle. He had loved her.

"Gentle." Leia's sharp voice backed Finn away even further. "We have not examined the extent of her injuries."

"My injuries?" Rey looked herself over and saw that she was covered in bruises. She knew what some of them were from. Her hands immediately flew to her neck, praying that they hadn't seen the love marks. No. Everything was out of order. Everything was misshapen and she was disoriented. "Where am I?" she demanded. "Where's Luke? How did I get here? What happened? How did you find me? Where's Kylo Ren?"

"Slow down." Leia held up a hand. "Finn, please go make sure Poe is taking the fastest route back to the base."

"Not the base!" Rey cried as Finn started to get up. "You can't take me back! He'll see again!"

"Relax." Leia nodded for Finn to continue out of the room. "Not the Resistance base. A small base that Luke set up on another uncharted planet. Do not worry."

"I need to know what happened." Rey spoke firmly. She was no longer the innocent, aspiring Jedi. She had been with the enemy and she no longer knew how to feel. So she decided not to.

"Ah, where do I start?" Leia put a hand to her forehead as if she had a pounding headache. "Well, Luke sensed another presence of the Force that day you were taken. He tried to find you, called to you, but you didn't come fast enough. He didn't want to leave you, but he couldn't let them take him."

"I understand."

"No, you don't." Leia cut Rey off. "He didn't run off. He killed one of the First Order's men. And he took another captive. We've been trying to get information from him, especially about where you might have been, even resorting to torturing though that is against our methods. But it was growing more and more hopeless. Luke tried his hardest to connect with you, but nothing worked."

"I tried too." Rey replied quietly. "I tried."

"We know." Leia rested her hand gently on Rey's knee. "We know." Leia's eyes told Rey that she was forgiving Rey for more than just a failed Force connection. Rey had returned without a redeemed Ben Solo. Another failure in the heart of Leia Solo. Rey had failed in more ways than one. "But eventually, we had a breakthrough. The digits for the ship's tracking device came to Luke in a dream. Unusual, suspicious, but we thought it was worth looking into. And lo and behold, Poe found the ship. Unfortunately, by the time we found the ship, we knew it was a stupid idea to try to do anything. We thought it better to keep the tracking digits and regroup with a stronger force. Besides, it wasn't even the First Order's mother ship. It was merely a space circler. For all we knew the captive could've given us a fake code. But Finn insisted on coming back with you, sweet boy. We docked, thankfully unrecognized and Finn found you right inside the docking unit, unconscious, next to a droid. We lost a man to a Stormtrooper that saw us pulling out. He was a good fighter. But we will worry about that later."

"A droid?" Rey spoke up. "What did it look like?"

"You would have to ask Finn that." She sighed. "Rey, we were so worried." Rey saw the pure fatigue in Leia's face. "Luke wouldn't have forgiven himself if he had lost you too."

"Wait you thought…" Rey trailed off. They had all thought she had been turned because they hadn't heard anything from her. "That would never have happened." She insisted.

"Well, we're just relieved you're ok." Leia didn't sound nearly as happy as Rey had expected her too. Nothing was wrong anymore. Why should she be sad?

"Leia, what happened? Something happened." Rey sensed it. Something bad had happened that no one was telling her. And she needed to know now.

"It's nothing. Rest." Leia waved off the thought and began to leave.

"Leia!" Rey called, mustering the courage to question the general's patience. "Tell me. I deserve to know."

"A few days ago," Leia started, eyes glassy, "the planet of Jakku was attacked. Civilians were killed. Innocent people and creatures."

"Who was it?" Rey didn't want to hear.

"It was the First Order's troops." Leia sighed in defeat. "Rey, we're happy to have you back, we are, but there's a war at hand."

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"You released our only asset to this situation!" Hux yelled, flipping chairs as he circled the table in the middle of the room.

"I told you we weren't getting anywhere with her. And she was getting stronger. Before long she'd be able to connect with Skywalker and give him information on us. I couldn't let that happen." Kylo replied steadily, lying through his teeth. He had only personal reasons behind letting the girl go, personal reasons that he did not intend to address. Ever.

"And you just dumped her into space? Funny, you treated her with much more value than that a few hours ago." Hux shook his head. "I still feel that was a rash move. That girl could have at least been a hostage. Maybe someone from the Resistance that had an attachment to her would have been stupid enough to try to come rescue her."

"It wouldn't have worked." Kylo Ren waved the idea away. "This was the best thing. Now we're rid of her, she will no longer be trained as a Jedi and the only one left to worry about as a match for me will be Skywalker."

"I thought you said you can best him."

"Of course I can." He Kylo replied indignantly. "I just said he was a concern. The girl is gone. No longer a worry. This is good."

"Very well, we will speak on it no further." Hux excused himself and left Kylo Ren in the dark room by himself. He looked at the overturned chairs. He already felt weak and guilty for letting the girl go. What kind of lord was he, giving up the enemy just because of a Force bond? He had provided the Resistance with the ship's coordinates through Skywalker, placed Rey in a stupor and left her with TG-5 to be intercepted at the docking location. Of course he had expected his troopers to be watching closely, killing a few stragglers of the Resistance, but letting Rey back on that ship was a failure in his profession. But in his heart…he just couldn't do it. He couldn't keep her here, let Hux kill her, let Snoke ruin her. Not after that night.

"I trust you." Rey's voice rang in his head. It was the voice that had been ringing in his head as he had sent the coordinates to Skywalker's dreams. It had been that voice that had led him to place her in the docking station to be intercepted by her friends. He couldn't be that weak again though. No. That was the last time he let his personal interests interfere with his plans.

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"I don't wish to speak of it." Rey turned her face away from Luke after she had embraced him and let a few silent tears slide down her cheeks. He just nodded and stroked her shoulder gently.

"I knew you wouldn't turn. I had faith in you when others didn't." he explained and she smiled back at him.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down." She nodded. "I just knew it."

"I'm sorry it took us so long. We tried as hard as we could. Every moment I was working to locate you. I never slept."

"I believe it." Rey took his arm as they retired into the large hut that was now rooming Finn, Poe, Leia, Luke, a dozen or so troopers, and now herself. "I survived." Luke looked into her eyes with concern.

"But at what costs?" he murmured and Rey had a feeling he would be seeing some of her visit there sooner or later. She had to practice hiding her memories while she still could. It was still unreal to her that she was back with the Resistance. She had almost gotten used to the cuffs on her wrists, the darkness of her cell, and the feeling of Kylo Ren always near. Now she felt so…empty….and alone. She pushed the feelings away as soon as she saw Luke looking at her curiously.

"Do you think you could show me my room?" Rey asked suddenly. "I need a minute."

"Leia?" Luke called and his sister appeared from the living space in the hut. "Rey needs her room."

"Of course." Leia nodded and led Rey down the hall. As Rey surveyed her small, comfortable room with its little window, dirt walls and floor with a small bed in the center and chair in the corner, Leia's eyes never left the girl. "How was he?" Leia spoke up, voice hoarse. Rey's attention snapped to the general. They stared at each other for a long while. Rey dared not speak. Leia did not move. "I understand you don't want to talk about it," Leia began again, "but just tell me he's ok."

"He was fine." Rey muttered. "That's all." And with that she turned her back to Leia and looked out the window, eventually hearing the sound of the door closing behind her. She was alone. Completely. Even the presence she had once loathed was gone. He wasn't with her any longer. And she couldn't stand it. She threw herself down on the bed and burst into silent sobs. It was not love, she told herself. But no matter what she called it, it hurt.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Rey knew that eventually she would have to tell Luke and Leia what she knew. They were at war now. Innocent civilians were being slaughtered. A part of her wilted at the thought that the man she had slept with not three days ago could be behind it all. Not him. Not her Ben. She shook the thoughts away. He was not hers. She did not care what he did. He didn't matter except for someone to get rid of. Which is exactly what she knew would eventually have to happen. The First Order or the Resistance…either one would eventually make the two of them battle to the death. Next time she met with the enemy, they would not underestimate her. If Kylo didn't kill her, someone else would.

"Food. Come eat." Finn stuck his head in the door. He was about to turn away when he caught sight of her pale face and bloodshot eyes. "You've been crying."

"Go away." She snapped, suddenly angry. She wanted to be left alone. But Finn would never just leave someone alone.

"I swear Rey, if he hurt you…"

"He didn't hurt me, gosh!" she stood up to face him as he walked up to her. "Is that all you can think of?"

"Rey, we thought you were dead! And you're brushing this off like it's no big deal!" he shook his head. "I know him too, remember? I don't see a guy like him respecting you."

"No, you don't know him." Rey thought back to the things she had seen in Ren's eyes. He and his father. No one really knew him. But if anyone came close, it was she. She had given everything to him and vice versa. She could hear herself defending him, cringed at it, but wouldn't let Finn scatter the air with his falsities.

"Rey, he held you there for over a week! You look terrible! Why are you defending him?"

"Look, I don't want to talk." She turned her face away, but Finn jutted his hand out and gently cupped her chin, turning her to look at him. He stepped closer to her and she almost could feel his heart speeding up. But all she felt was a deep desire to be able to sleep for a few days and then start over, back on Jakku, not having met a single one of these people.

"I'm so glad you're ok." He whispered. Rey sighed and looked down. Finn would never understand what she had seen. Never understand how she felt. How deeply she felt….for her enemy. Rey turned her face, sliding it out of Finn's hands, breaking the moment Finn had created. She could see his forehead draw tightly as he frowned. "What's up with you? We all thought you'd be so happy to be back, but all you want to do is sit around and mope."

"I'm not moping!" she exploded in rage. "You have no idea what I've been through!" And she wasn't even referring to the torture or the physical pain. She was referring to the heartbreak that she was still coming to terms with. She would never get another night like that again. It had been their first….and last.

"Make me understand!" he shouted back. "I can help."

"No you can't." she brushed past him stiffly and let herself out of the room. She had had enough of them right now. She bypassed the gathering room and pushed her way outside. She wouldn't be eating any meals with them for a while. That would involve talking. And she wasn't ready for that yet. She was ready to admit what she had done.

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"You sense something." Leia perceived as she and Luke finished the last bits of their dinner. Rey hadn't come to dinner, and judging by the bad mood Finn was in, Leia was assuming it had something to do with that. Of course Leia hadn't expected Rey to be completely ready to jump back into things, but the girl was acting strangely. And now Luke was too. And Leia knew he sensed something troubling.

"I think we should speak to her." Luke murmured, as if his mind was clouded and foggy.

"You think something happened back there?" Leia asked, dread filling her heart. "He wouldn't hurt her. I know he wouldn't."

"He did not hurt her." Luke shook his head. "I would be able to sense the injustice if he as so much as laid an unwanted hand on her."

"Then what do you feel?" Leia asked, almost tiredly. Luke always seemed to be sensing things, things that were wrong or strange, nothing ever good. And Leia sometimes wished he would just keep his prophetical thoughts to himself. But he was her brother, her twin and she knew that he leaned on her for the majority of his support, especially since he had become much less social and aloof. She still loved him dearly, as much as she had years ago, before her son had turned.

"The Force. It is brighter than it ever has been, stronger." Luke mumbled. "You should talk to her."

"Luke, she'll tell us what she wants to. I think you're just upset that you can't read her as easily as you used to. You're training her well." Leia flashed him a small smile as she cleared their dishes away. "But I was planning to have a conversation with her anyways. I'll mention it." She agreed and excused herself to find Rey. Eventually, after several room checks, she found Rey sitting outside the hut, shivering in the now-chilled night wind. "Come inside." Leia spoke up quietly so as not to scare the girl, but Rey had anticipated her movements and had already expected her. Leia was surprised. The girl really was powerful. An important ally or a deadly enemy to whomever she pleased.

"I like it better out here." Rey replied without turning to look at Leia. Her back was leaning against the hut, her knees hugged to her chest as she stared vacantly out at the flat landscape, an empty moorland. Leia sighed and took up a position next to her. Rey looked over at her in curiosity. "Do you need something?"

"I'm not prying…."Leia frowned, not wanting to upset Rey, but she needed to know. "How was he? What did he do? Did you see him much?" Leia watched Rey's face fall immediately into shadows. The girl looked extremely unhappy.

"General, do you believe your mother loved Anakin even when he had turned?" Rey asked, a surge of courage sweeping over her.

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Kylo Ren dared to initiate the connection as soon as he heard the words.

"General, do you believe your mother loved Anakin even when he had turned?" the girl's voice was deeper now, not as strong…very forlorn. He could see her eyes. Saw the pain. The same pain he felt that he was now trying to bury. All the feelings that couldn't be erased now, but could never be addressed. Life was cruel. She was indirectly asking about him. He knew it. He held his breath. He never tried to see his mother. So he focused on Rey, just listening for the answer to see her expression. She hadn't realized he was present. He thanked her lack of experience.

"She was alive for a very short time after he officially turned." Leia replied.

"Yes, but she tried to reason with him, didn't she?"

"Yes, but that didn't go very far." Leia shook her head. "Of course she still saw the good in him when no one else did. Only true love will do that I suppose. Show the good in true evil."

"True evil." Rey breathed and Kylo Ren watched her eyes become glassy, reflecting the stars in the sky. "Show the good."

"I know she would have done everything in her power to save him if she had lived." Leia nodded.

"But at least she met him when he was good." Rey sighed in defeat and Kylo frowned to himself. "She fell in love with, and married him before anything bad happened."

"Well if you're implying that if she had met him as Darth Vader that she wouldn't have loved him, we could never know. But I happen to think that that's the reason why he loved her in the first place. She had a gift of seeing the good in everyone. Even if she had met him as Darth Vader, I believe she would have seen the good in him then too."

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Rey shot up, sweaty and heart racing. It looked like she was back to more restless nights. She looked around, trying to decide if it was worth a try to fall back asleep. She gave up on the idea when her heart wouldn't calm down. She felt her limbs shaking, the memory of her dream gone, but the intense fear she felt still very present. She rolled off of her cot, flopping onto the floor, and dragged herself over to the tiny window. She pulled the blinds up and tried to locate the moon, or even just a star. She needed something light, something good. A presence, proof that it wasn't just her left. She took deep breaths and placed a hand gently over her heart to count the beats, just liked she counted the days on Jakku, just like she counted the days on a ship not so long ago. She inhaled sharply and pulled her hand away. She would not think of that. But it was too late. Her eyes were already growing glassy, tears that she hated passionately, threatening to spill over. The tears. She wasn't one to cry. She was hard, strong, and knew that emotions got in the way of what needed to be done. Except when she had finally found what made her world…whole…she had a taste, and then it was gone. Just like her family had gone years before. She could never hold onto the important things.

"I can't sleep." She sniffled to the humid night air. She knew he wouldn't respond. She didn't even know why she was talking to him. It was dangerous. But whenever she thought of him, connected with him, the indescribable feeling of calm would sweep over her. "Can you?"

"No." the words were almost inaudible, even possibly imagined, but she heard them. It was his voice. She was sure of it. She focused strictly on not letting him slip away so easily. "Stop that." His voice was clearer this time. "I can't stay. You're a hazard to the First Order."

"I know." She rolled her eyes. "And you're a hazard to the Resistance. But here I am."

"You obviously weren't taught well."

"Stop insulting me to get around this." She snapped, remembering that this was not Ben, this was Kylo Ren. She loved them both. There were a few moments of silence, Rey listening to the crickets chirping and no longer hanging onto him, knowing that he would stay now that he had heard enough of her.

"I trust you are safe now." His voice was tight and constrained.

"I am safe now." She breathed. "The question is, why am I?"

"That is not important."

"Because the last thing I remember was falling asleep in…" her voice trailed off as she realized that neither one of them wanted that sentence to be continued. "You put me at the loading dock." She breathed as she felt his mind weaken enough for her to look in. She read through the thoughts, felt the compassion he had had for her back on the ship the night she had fallen asleep with him. "You gave them the coordinates. You sent me back."

"If you wish to think that, you may."

"Hux must be furious." She muttered and she felt his mental barriers immediately return, twice as strong. She felt him pushing her away slightly.

"I will not speak of work with you. I shouldn't be speaking to you anyways." He growled. "And may I remind you, if Skywalker and Organa find out about…you know, we'll both have a lot to face."

"Your point?"

"You're being so obvious!" he cried in frustration. "Acting all aloof! You can't make them suspicious!"

"I'm not doing anything!" she cried in defense.

"Asking those questions you asked this evening were not as subtle as you thought. Skywalker senses something."

"You were listening." She sighed, exasperated that she hadn't felt him. Tomorrow she would beg for an intense training session with Luke. She needed to get back on her game.

"I was." He admitted. "You can't ask things like that."

"Well, that was your choice." She snipped.

"Did you wake me up just to accuse me?"

"You said you were awake." She pointed out haughtily. She felt his growl and held her breath as he ran his hands through his hair. She could see the long fingers, see the dark locks. She fought off the visions. "I should go." She sighed, knowing that if she stayed, she'd fall into his trance again, letting their minds lock. And that could end in disaster of monumental proportions.

"Very well." He sounded cold, nonchalant. It slightly pained her. But she straightened her spine, mentally balancing her emotions, pushing them deep down. No more emotions. Silence.

"Ben." Her voice so small. He heard it, a peep in the darkness, a prick of light, an oasis, a rarity. He withheld the strong urge to reply to the name. He couldn't. He wouldn't. But the way she said it! Not pleading exactly, but not too firm. It was almost as if she had known him for years, spoke in understanding and equality. She shared his burdens. She spoke with wisdom…

"No." he replied quietly. "You know what to call me."

"That's why I called you Ben." She whispered. He had to admire her persistency, her courage. Anyone else he'd be tempted to blast to pieces. But with her he was only extremely irritated. "I know the war was started by the First Order." He mentally cursed. Of course she knew. Why wouldn't she? He just hadn't expected her to bring that up.

"Tonight our contact ends." He decided aloud.

"What?" he heard the surprise in her tone, the dejection.

"I can speak to you no longer. You continue to bring up topics that I cannot disclose information about."

"Ben." She sighed.

"Stop." He replied quickly. "Rey, it is enough. I can't stand this. If I hear your voice, but can't touch you, can't have you, I can't handle it. This is too hard. We need to break this."

"It can't be broken." She whimpered. "Even if we don't talk, you know we'll always feel each other."

"It is what has to be." He cringed at the waves of anger he felt flowing from her. It was like a repeat of her family. And the last thing he wanted was for her to experience that again. "You and I both have things to do. We will see each other again someday." But the words were not promising. They were somber, foreboding. Because they both knew the next time, only one would walk away, the other gone forever.

"I suppose so." He felt her collecting herself. "Goodbye Kylo Ren." Her voice was suddenly steely and he hated it. "I wish you the best in your future plans."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Kylo Ren turned in his bed, the sheets wrapping around him viciously, trying to pull him down into a never-ending pit. He struggled against their forceful tentacles, tried to fend off the panic he felt. He felt a power growing, a deep power, an anonymous power, so new it had yet to discover itself. But he felt it stirring. He could feel the beads of sweat running down his chest and back. His heart was pumping as if he had just run a marathon. He cried out in agony. Her face flashed across his vision. He cried out again. She never left him. She would haunt him forever.

"There's good in him." Her voice echoed.

"Something wonderful has happened." Padme's voice circled his mind. He cringed. Not this dream again. But the dream didn't come, the words just resonated in the recesses of his mind. And then the most terrifying thing he had experienced happened.

"Something wonderful has happened." It was Rey's voice. He was sure of it. Padme was supposed to say it. But she said it this time. No! Something had changed. Rey wasn't supposed to say that. She hadn't even been born. What was….

"No!" he shot up, eyes flashing open, to see TG-5 waiting dutifully, holding out a glass of water. He took it quickly and gulped it down as if he was dying. He felt like he was. Every time he saw her he felt a piece of his soul burn away, pining for her. Her skin, the breathy moans, her legs tangled in his sheets, her head on his chest…. "Leave me!" he bellowed at the droid and ripped the sheets away from him and decided to just take a cold shower and stay up. Besides, he had battle strategies to go over.

"Master." The droid stopped him before he could shut himself in the commode.

"I said leave." Kylo growled without turning around. "What do you need?"

"You only lasted an hour this time." The droid stated quietly. Kylo's frustration grew. He had only been asleep an hour? It had felt like years. So much had happened to him in that hour, another part of him dead without her. He couldn't go on like this. He needed sleep. He needed rest and peace or he would never get anywhere without losing his temper. He wasn't thinking clearly.

"I can't keep doing this." He muttered to himself and slowly turned to face TG-5. "I just can't." he stumbled back to his bed and collapsed on it, resting his elbows on his knees and putting his head in his hands and taking deep breaths. His long hair fell around his face, some still stuck to his cheeks in sweat. His chest and back were shiny and his muscles were tense.

"Your health is paying." TG-5 reminded him as it refilled the water and slowly nudged it to its master. Kylo took the water without another word and drained that cup quickly as well, but he clutched the cup to himself after he had finished as if that cup could save him. "I've never seen you like this, Master. It is concerning."

"Droids are programmed to not feel concern." Kylo Ren grumbled, head still down.

"That is common, human, faulty thinking. We droids are quite capable of being concerned, especially when the problem is where our loyalties lie."

"Well stop it. It's not your job to worry." He snapped. TG-5 did not speak another word. As the words boiled off into the air, Kylo Ren remembered Rey the last night she had remained on the ship. She had completely told him off for treating the droid wrongly. She had such a heart for the little things. He stopped himself from thinking about her further. But he refocused on his treatment of his droid. "Forgive me." He muttered grumpily.

"Whatever for?" TG-5 sounded startled beyond anything.

"I should not have chastised you for being concerned." He couldn't believe how awful it felt to apologize. How on earth had he stood it as a Padawan. He had had to apologize all the time to Luke for messing things up. Apparently he was out of practice. His old master would have been ashamed. No. Do not think of them.

"I'll send for food." The droid offered.

"I'm not hungry." He stopped the droid immediately. "Don't bother."

"You haven't eaten in days," the droid reminded.

"I realize this." Kylo sighed in exasperation. "But there's really nothing I can do."

"It's her, isn't it?" TG-5 croaked. Kylo Ren's head snapped up, eyes crackling.

"What did you say?" he challenged. TG-5 squeaked once and then rolled into his hole in the wall and disappeared.

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"Rey!" a voice screamed and Rey shot up and looked around in a frenetic state, swearing someone had been screaming for her. Once her eyes had adjusted, she saw Poe and Finn looking at her.

"What's going on?" she asked groggily, her heart rate slowly calming as she saw she was still in her room in the hut and it was dark out and everyone was ok.

"You were doing it again." Finn sighed. Rey immediately felt panic rising in her chest.

"Did I say anything?" she asked cautiously.

"Nothing understandable." Poe chuckled dryly. "Just a lot of yelling and kicking." He rubbed his shoulder. "That'll bruise."

"Sorry." Rey grimaced lightly. "Did I wake anyone else up?"

"We were all up anyways." Poe explained as he helped her out of bed and handed her some tepid water to drink. She took it gratefully. "Leia is holding a meeting about who's returning to the base and where you and Luke will go and how to begin to go about the war."

"And no one told me?!" she asked indignantly and turned on Finn, eyes firing bullets at him. He backed away, hands up in defense.

"They told me to let you sleep." He looked her up and down. "Lord knows, you needed it." She realized he was right. She hadn't been sleeping well and even when she had been sleeping without dreams, she still woke up screaming, knowing that he was there. She could always feel him, always see him. The lack of connection was killing her. She secretly thanked Poe and Finn for waking her up. Being awake and focusing on other things was so much easier than trying to sleep.

"Is there anything to eat?" she asked suddenly. Both Poe and Finn looked at her in surprise. She hadn't wanted food since she had arrived. She looked at them, not smiling, but not completely angry at them either. "I suddenly feel like having some noodles."

"We should be able to find you something." Poe nodded and joined Rey and Finn as they all walked out into the main room where a dozen or so people were gathered around Leia and Luke who were pouring over maps. When Poe stepped into the room he cleared his throat and everyone looked up. When Leia saw Rey she smiled brightly.

"So she's up." Leia left her position at the table and went over to see if Rey needed anything. Rey reached out to Luke with the Force, saying hello and apologizing for her aloof attitude. He graciously forgave her and said he understood. Their eyes met for a moment and she saw the forgiveness in them. She was slowly moving on. She had to try hard for Leia. For Luke.

"Rey was wondering about something to eat." Poe smiled to Leia. Leia's eyes widened a bit but she nodded eagerly and led Rey into the back kitchen area away from the rest of the people.

"You really feel hungry?" Leia checked as she dished some cold noodles into a bowl for Rey. "You don't have to pretend with me."

"I really would like some." Rey nodded and accepted the bowl gratefully. She and Leia sat down on the floor on the simple mats that lined the kitchen floor. Rey was content sitting in the back, away from the crowd. She suspected that Leia knew that and had intentionally taken Rey away for that purpose: to retreat.

"How is it?" Leia asked as Rey took her first few forkfuls.

"Good." Rey had to adjust to the taste of good food, not having had a decent meal since she had been back in Kylo Ren's room…..

"Something happened back on the ship, didn't it?" Leia asked bluntly and Rey took a deep breath, having expected that Leia would ask a question alone those lines. She just had no idea how to go about answering it.

"Ummmm." Rey sighed and set her bowl on the floor in front of her. "Well…"

"We took care of all your injuries?" Leia asked again and looked Rey up and down.

"Yes yes." Rey nodded. "I feel much better. Thank you."

"Of course." Leia nodded her welcoming and waited for Rey to continue.

"Well, some of the things I saw on the ship….gave me a lot to think about." Rey struggled to find the words she wanted to use.

"Please tell me he didn't do that to you." Leia was pointing to the bruises that ran the length of Rey's arms. Rey looked self-consciously down at the skin. It was the bruises from collapsing on the floor after Hux had blasted her. The wound of the blaster was dressed and wrapped up.

"You mean…"

"Yes. Ben wouldn't do that. I know he wouldn't." she looked at Rey with dreadful eyes.

"No. No, he didn't do it." Rey assured her quietly and wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Your face?" Leia was referring to the red gash that ran across her cheek and the awful bruise that was covering half of her face.

"No, it wasn't his doing." Rey replied again. She heard Leia breathe a sigh of relief and then she dropped the subject of her son. But she persisted about Rey's captivity.

"Did you learn anything about their plans?" Leia asked urgently. Rey felt her temple pulsing. She suddenly felt very sick to her stomach. She pushed the bowl of noodles away and looked around the kitchen dizzily. Leia saw that the girl was growing faint. "Rey?" she snapped in concern and jumped up to help the girl up. "Where…"

"Outside." Rey breathed and stumbled out the back door of the hut and heaved as soon as she felt it clear of people. She heard Leia race around the kitchen and come out of the hut with a wet towel and ribbon to tie her hair back. When Rey finished she turned away and tried to get her eyes to focus. "I just need to sit down." Rey mumbled and plopped down in the dirt next to the hut and leaned her head back against the wall. "Everything's spinning."

"I shouldn't have given you that much to eat yet. You haven't eaten in days. We should have slowly gleaned you back onto it. Your body's not used to that heavy of substances." She was talking to herself. "Are you still feeling sick? I know Luke would have something for that."

"No no, just dizzy." Rey promised, but soon Luke had materialized next to her. She heard he and Leia whispering a ways off and a few protests and once a chuckle from him. And then she felt her eyes slowly drooping shut and she felt him carefully pick her up and return her to her room. She had apparently underestimated his strength in his age. As she felt their presences retreating from her room, she suddenly felt very afraid. "Someone please stay." She gathered strength and called to them. She felt Luke's presence stir back next to her bed and take up position next to the window. "I don't mean to-"

"I'd rather be awake where I can see the stars instead of awake on my mat," he stopped her apologies and she stayed quiet after that. She knew that their master/student relationship had been restored.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Luke didn't know what to expect. He had sensed a change in the Force the night they found Rey. He had felt the power Rey was omitting, so much stronger than she had ever been, but he had chalked it up to be her fighting, adrenaline and such. What he didn't expect was for Leia to introduce a whole new idea to him.

"I think you need to speak with Rey." Leia came sweeping into his room one day, two weeks after Rey had returned. "Something's not right."

"What do you mean?" Luke stood up calmly, but in concern. "Is she alright?"

"Define alright." Leia sighed and shook her head. "We need to find out what happened on that ship. She just…I don't know…just a feeling I have."

"She went through a lot, Leia." Luke reminded. "She will be dealing with the pain for a long time."

"That's not what I meant." She muttered. Luke looked at her closely. Her gaze was turned down, her eyebrows scrunched in intense thinking. "She still can't stomach any food I give her."

"You think she might be ill?" Luke had already considered this possibility. Rey had looked completely drained when they found her. But she had not recovered well as he had expected. She could not keep any food down. She was always tired and often became dizzy.

"She could be." Leia pondered. "Though she is still in good spirits and trains actively with you.

"She is very strong." Luke nodded. "Just a few deficiencies."

"I just don't know…"

"Why are you so disturbed?" Luke didn't see why Leia was so worked up about the girl. She was always in their sights, they never let her wander far, scared to lose her again. She still worked hard and was perceptive and assertive.

"I just have an awful feeling that something happened that we don't know about." Leia squinted up at him and swallowed hard. "Something we should know about."

"I'm sure if she knew anything so dire, she would tell us." Luke explained confidently. "The girl is stressed, Leia. The weight of a war is crushing us all. You're commanding your troops from out here, I'm training the girl hard, her friends have already left train to fight. She has a lot on her mind."

"Hm, maybe." Leia still wasn't convinced.

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That night the dream came to Luke. He saw his mother. He saw Padme.

"Luke." Her soft voice was sweet and soothing. He had dreamed of his mother before, but not for a long long time. "Luke." He looked and saw himself standing in a dark room, Padme the only thing he could see.

"Mother." He breathed. "Where are we?"

"We are on the ship of Kylo Ren." She answered calmly. His breath shortened. Why on earth had his dreams brought him here? "I believe you may find the answers you're looking for." Padme answered his thoughts. With that she brushed the air with her fingertips and the blackness rippled and he was standing in a bedroom, dimly lit, sparsely furnished. And then the voices directed his attention across the room.

"What do you want me to do?" his eyes landed on the looming figure of his nephew. He lost his breath. Rey was standing right in front of him. She stood fearlessly, almost as if she was mesmerized. Move, he wanted to shout. Why was she just standing there? What was she doing.

"It has already happened." Padme's voice calmed him. "It is in the past." Luke waited to hear what would be said. And then Rey spoke, her voice far away, almost like he was listening from underwater.

"Kiss me." It was meek, but sure. And then he fell away, the scene rippling from his eyes. He felt weightless. What he had just witnessed had affected him too greatly to put into words. Padme appeared before him again in the utter darkness.

"That…that happened?" Luke stuttered, he could feel himself sweating, panic rising. "When she was on the ship, she…"

"My son, things are still happening that you are not yet aware of. Their bond is much stronger than you originally anticipated. It can never be severed, not even by death."

"We still have to try. He's too dangerous."

"The girl has a connection to me that you have been denying a long time. I have haunted her, tried to warn her, but she did not take heed. The deed is done."

"What deed?" Luke asked helplessly. Before Padme could respond, a bright light flashed into Luke's vision, practically blinding him. He shielded his eyes. He heard a sound of laughter and her a woman's voice. He looked up and saw Rey. She was sitting outside, grassy meadows surrounding her, sun warming her and her companion. It was Ben. They were smiling, laughing. And then he saw it. A toddler waddled around a ways off, Rey's eyes always on the child.

"Come back." Rey called gently to the child and it came toddling back over. Luke didn't even need to hear the words. It was their child.

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"I don't believe it." Leia shook her head. "It doesn't make sense, Luke!"

"It's what I saw! It's what she showed me!"

"It was a dream!"

"It was a vision!" he protested. "What I saw was the past and the future. Reality."

"Rey is not pregnant." Leia hissed and looked out into the fields where Rey was working on her lightsaber form. "And don't shout so loudly. She'll hear you."

"Let her hear." Luke growled.

"You can't be mad at her for something she didn't do!" Leia's eyes were burning with fury. "For goodness sake, Luke, not everything you see has to be some sort of prophecy!"

"I'm not making this personal." He retorted. "This is a prophecy promised a long time ago. And it isn't mine. You know it."

"If you're referring to a balance in the Force, that was you and Anakin Skywalker. I don't know how you're implying that Rey and her…her child have something to do with it?" Leia scoffed.

"The prophecy about a promised continuation of our line!" Luke snapped. "We wanted it to end at Ben! We agreed! You promised me no more! We agreed that the line would stop. Ben obviously wouldn't marry and you wouldn't have any more children and neither would I."

"Yes. So?" Leia refused to let herself get sucked into his predictions.

"So, you know it is extremely dangerous for our line to continue, so we cut it off before the prophecy could ring true. The two of them should never have met!" he burst. He couldn't stand it. He just knew she was carrying a child. He could feel it.

"I think you should take a walk." She sighed quietly and he saw her put a hand to her head. She was suffering a headache.

"We need to talk to her!" he cried.

"Luke, think rationally, please." She begged him. "Rey is a smart girl. You're not giving her the credit she deserves! She would not….not with him."

"I saw them." Luke's eyes were downcast. "You don't know half of the effect those two have on each other. Neither do I, but I see it in her eyes. She is torn, Leia. She looks at him and sees the good that we never could. She sees his soul just like he can read hers. They're connected, they can read each other's hearts and minds. When you are so closely connected to someone….I have never seen such pure dependence."

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Rey had missed her period. She knew it. She felt it. She knew what was wrong. She could feel the shift in the Force. The thought sent her into a panic.

"Rey?" Leia's voice swept into her room and Rey turned to see Leia peeking in the door. "May I come in?" Rey motioned Leia to enter and turned back to face the window so the general wouldn't see the complete terror in her eyes. What had she done? "How are you feeling?"

"Um, b-better." Rey's voice trembled.

"Stomach alright?"

"It's f-f-fine." Rey willed herself to not turn around and locked her gaze onto the grass blowing in the wind outside. What had they done? She knew it was a baby. She just knew it. That's why Padme had kept trying to warn her. She had been in love with one that had turned. And she had had the children of one who had turned. And look how much pain Luke and Leia, the children had been through. What would she be putting others through? Did Ben know? Gosh, he'd be so angry.

"Rey?" she felt Leia's hand rest lightly on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry." Rey gasped, panic seizing her and she turned around to face Leia. Her eyes were wide with fear. "I-I can't…" her lips trembled and she felt her body shaking.

"Rey, what's wrong?" Leia looked at her in fear.

"Luke knows. He sensed it." Rey shook her head and looked down at the floor. "God, what did I do?" she sucked in a breath, heat like fire filling her lungs, the little oxygen doing nothing for her.

"You mean…" Leia's voice grew tight. "You mean…it's true?" Rey's eyes met Leia's and Rey saw the pure shock slowly writing itself all over her face. "No." Leia shook her head and spoke in low tones. "That can't be true. H-how?"

"Back on the ship…" Rey choked on the words and shook her head.

"How could you….Luke and I worked so hard to make sure the line ended with Ben!" Leia snapped and Rey was shocked. She had never heard Leia raise her voice in harshness. "This can't be happening!"

"I didn't…didn't mean…" Rey didn't know even where to begin.

"Forgive me, I need to be alone." Leia held up her hand to silence Rey and slipped out of the room before Rey could stop her. Rey stared at the door, tears welling in her eyes. Leia was angry. Rey slowly sank to the floor. A child. She stared down at her stomach. She had thought she had slowly been getting rid of Kylo Ren, letting him fade. But he was back. She hiccupped and gave a cynical laugh.

"Kiss me." She scoffed at the words she had murmured to Ben back on the ship. "Perfectly rational. Look where that got us." She smoothed her hair back and coughed. She had a lot of things to fix. Starting with Leia.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

"Faster!" Rey commanded. She was working with a smaller Resistance fighter, new to the job that was living at the hut and strategizing for the war. Luke and Leia were talking by themselves. Rey had needed to get her mind off of everything that was happening. She had been concerned at first that training as hard as she did would put her and the baby at risk, but she was still angry at the thing for ruining everything so she decided she didn't care. She didn't even like to say 'baby'. She preferred not to think of it at all. "Ha!" she cried and swung her leg out and knocked him off his feet. He landed hard on his back and she saw that she had clearly knocked the wind out of him. "Take a break." She nodded in sympathy and walked a few yards away. She sighed, catching her breath.

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"Where should we begin with this?" Leia was pacing the room, wearing the dirt floors down. Luke was sitting on his mat, legs crossed, eyes closed, connecting with the Force while he listened to his sister's concerns. "I mean, we aren't prepared to handle something like this!"

"We need to take it day by day." He replied calmly.

"What does this mean for her? For him?" she hissed, referring to Kylo Ren. "Does he know? What will he do when he finds out?"

"He won't find out." Luke's eyes snapped open and he said his first decided thing all day. "He can't."

"You forget that they can't keep anything from each other." Leia pointed out.

"They haven't been speaking." He assure Leia. "I think that her condition might be affecting their bond."

"And what about her training? What will happen with that? What about when the child is born? What will it be like? Who will raise it?"

"Stop." Luke held his hands up to silence her.

"Don't tell me to stop!" Leia cried indignantly. She stared at Luke as he gestured to the door. Leia looked over and saw Rey standing meekly, eyes down, in the doorway. "Rey." Leia's voice softened. "Where have you been?"

"Training." Her voice was hoarse as if she had been crying. Or as if she hadn't spoken in many years. "But I needed to apologize. And to tell you both what really happened. You both deserve to know what went on."

"You don't have to." Luke stared her down. Rey knew it was his way of testing her. He wanted to see if she did the right thing.

"Yes I do." She nodded and looked up at them for the first time.

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"He was good to me." Rey sighed as she accepted the cup of tea Leia offered to her. The three of them were gathered around the kitchen table while Rey explained what had happened back on the ship. "In his own way. He got me food, gave me new bandages. Let me shower."

"Interesting way to treat a prisoner." Luke mused aloud.

"They wanted me to help them find you." Rey sighed. "Again. They couldn't have me dying on them."

"I don't think that's the only reason…"Leia pursed her lips. "Based off of the situation now."

"Maybe so." Rey admitted, a small blush creeping to her cheeks. "But no matter, he was still very angry and often yelled at me. It wasn't until the last night that I figured out that a lot of his anger was directed at the fact that he had compassion for me."

"More than compassion." Luke muttered. Rey sucked in a breath of either frustration or embarrassment. "You must be honest in your words, Padawan. I taught you that a long time ago. Sugar-coating never gets you anywhere."

"We read into each other's souls. We saw things no one else had seen about the other, felt what the other felt. We couldn't take it back. Instead of hating each other for it, I think we grew closer. And on that night, I don't know what came over me. His presence…I just…" she looked down, choked up at the thought of his arms around her, his teasing fingers…she-she missed him. She breathed deeply to calm herself and when she looked up again, her eyes were glassy. "I know it was completely selfish and impulsive. I should have had more control. But I didn't and I don't know how I'll ever be able to fix this." She finished and abruptly stood up and turned away from them. She hated to show such weakness. "He can never know, can he?" she spoke up quietly, biting her lip, already knowing the answer, the tears backing up.

"We don't know what would happen to the child if he did. No one in the First Order can ever know." Luke replied in his stoic voice. Rey choked on her tears as they dripped down her throat. She had known that he would never know, that she would never see him again, but hearing it for the first time, hearing it for real, was just too much to bear. She just couldn't stop thinking that he would never see their child, never know the thing that he had left with her. She would forever have to look at a piece of him. Never forget him.

"Where will I go?" Rey coughed lightly and bit the inside of her cheek, searching for all her will power to stop crying. "I can't stay here. I'm no use to the Resistance anymore, no use to Luke or the Jedi."

"You can't go anywhere but here." Leia spoke up, her voice firm but pitying at the same time. "We can't let you out there alone. As soon as the First Order discovers the fact that there's a child, and they will discover it, they won't let you get away again."

"Why?" Rey asked, turning back to face them, a slight bit of her composure regained.

"I calculated and based off of your health patterns, I believe you are at least a month pregnant." Leia began to explain. "The Force is already changing, shifting. That's how Luke knew. And the closer and closer the baby gets to being born, the more the Force changes. Which means that even if Kylo Ren doesn't find out, someone else will, someone strong in the Force. Which then means that the First Order will know. And Luke and I weren't the only ones that didn't want an heir to our line."

"You mean the First Order is opposed to an heir too?" Rey asked, trying to understand.

"Extremely." Leia nodded stiffly. "If there was an heir, history could repeat as Luke did with Darth Vader." As Leia said this, Luke retreated out the back door. The subject was probably still too emotional for him. "The child could bring the light back to its father and Snoke cannot let that happen."

"So basically no one wants this thing around." Rey laughed dryly. "So I'm not alone in that."

"Rey, don't be so hard on yourself. It's done, you can't change it. You have more important things to focus on." Leia saw the pain and resignation on the girl's face. "Padme did it and I know she loved Luke and me dearly. Don't blame the child for what happened. You should love it."

"I can't just yet." Rey spoke in honesty, voice firm and a bite coming with it. "This wasn't how things were supposed to happen."

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"She will continue her training." Luke announced to Leia at dinner that evening. "At least, until her condition inhibits her."

"I think that's wise." Leia nodded. "The girl has so much spirit and determination to offer."

"But we need to be careful, Leia." Luke lowered his voice and looked past his sister and into the main area. Rey was on one of the couches, small cup of tea in hand, having a conversation with two of the fighter pilots that had come to see the general. Leia saw his concern and mentally reminded herself to keep her voice down. "She was already seduced by the dark side once."

"She never once considered turning." Leia shook her head and opposed the notion altogether. "I see it in her eyes. Just like Padme never wanted to join Anakin. Rey knows the difference between right and wrong."

"Why do I get the feeling you're feeling guilty?" Luke asked slowly. Leia bowed her head, exasperated that he could read her so quickly. "You are." Luke sat up straighter. "You feel guilty. That's why you were so upset when Rey first told you."

"Of course I feel guilty." Leia hissed to him. "All this is happening because of my son!"

"Leia," Luke reached across the table and took her hand, "you put those feelings to rest a long time ago. You must remember, feeling guilty for something you had no control over will do nothing for you."

"Yes, but maybe if Han and I had done something Rey wouldn't be in this position right now." Leia looked down at her tea. "Of course that's completely irrational, I just feel so bad when I see that pained look on her face. That look she gets when she thinks of him. It hurts me."

"She is my student. It hurts me too."

"Doesn't seem like it." Leia scoffed. "You are still upset about the child and she senses it. Have you noticed how she keeps her distance from you now? You scared her away."

"What she did was wrong. I trained her better than that." Luke snapped.

"And I trained my son better but look where that got us!" Leia stood up and shook the dishes on the table. Luke looked at her in surprise. "Forgive me." She quieted her voice and sat down again slowly, making sure that no one in the other room had heard her. "That girl is still just as special, gifted as when you were first training her. She has a gift with the Force. She loves you like a father and she loves to learn. She is still your student. You must remember those things first and foremost."

"It was selfish of them to put us in this position." Luke muttered.

"It was. And it was selfish of you to flee when we needed you." Leia finally spoke what many members of the Resistance had been thinking for some time now. Luke's head snapped up at the words, eyes wide in shock. Leia normally kept control, rarely voicing such obvious complaints.

"Leia I-"

"But we move on." She cut him off and stood up again. "I'm tired, Luke. Very tired. I'm going to bed. We can talk tomorrow."

"I know it was selfish." He stood up too, stopping her in the doorway. "But I don't know how to fix that now."

"That's the point." Leia sighed and smoothed a wrinkle out of his shirt. "Oh Luke, Rey thinks that she has to fix this mess. A mess that involves so many things that she doesn't even know about. And the way you treat her makes her think she owes us something. You want to fix something? Fix that."

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"He was a wonderful student." Luke began. Rey looked up, startled. She was the last one left sitting in the main room, everyone else already gone to bed. Her cup of tea was gone and she watched as Luke sat down slowly next to her. "He was gifted, just like you."

"Ben Solo?" she tried to keep her mind detached.

"Don't try so hard. He will not see you." Luke interrupted her thoughts.

"I've noticed that." Rey closed her eyes and sighed. "I think my condition…"

"Yes that may very well be the reason."

"Even when we weren't talking, I could still always feel him." Rey admitted quietly.

"I know."

"It's just…" Rey decided to not continue, scared of what else Luke might judge her of. Luke saw the hesitancy in her face and knew that he needed to fix the damage he had done.

"Rey, I must apologize." He forced his voice, apologies never coming very easily to him. "I have sacrificed the quality of our relationship to be angry with you. Yes, what you did was wrong, but I have done selfish things as well. I left the Resistance and my sister for years. And not once did I apologize. And you have already done so much apologizing. Just know, that no matter your mistakes, I will always be your teacher. Me being there for you is what comes first. Teachers are supposed to be the ones that are most supportive in times of mistakes." He paused and watched as he saw slight signs of relief wash over her face. "So if you need to, I'd like to hear what you were going to say." He watched as she processed all he had said. Then she took a deep breath and he saw her eyes begin to fill with emotion.

"It's just hard." Her lip began to tremble and he saw how hard she was trying to contain herself. "I feel like I should be angry at him. I know how I should feel about him. But I don't and I know I never will feel how I should about him. He killed one of the best men I ever knew. He wages wars, stands for everything that is evil, deserted his friends and hurts whoever he wants."

"All this is true." Luke watched her crumble.

"So then how could I not feel terrible for loving someone like that?" she began to sob. He did not make a move to comfort her. She was an independent being. She hated to suffer with others. He gave her time until she could speak again. "I thought maybe the baby would affect things, you know now that I know. But it didn't. That scares me. It makes me love him even more. I see him, not like I used to, not visions, I dream about him. I dream about a different life we could have had together. Growing up I never even considered a thing as my own family when I was still waiting on the family I belonged to. And then I met Poe and Finn. And I couldn't even like one of them! No! It had to be the man that kills and hurts and takes!"

"Rey." Luke stopped her. "You speak of Kylo Ren."

"Yes."

"You do not speak of Ben. Ben gives. He loves deeply and cares for many. Ben isn't gone."

"I know that." Rey bit her lip and looked away. "But the thing is, I love both of them. And that's not good."

"You miss him." Luke perceived all of a sudden.

"Yes." She whispered hoarsely. "I do. It's good the connection is broken for now or I don't think I'd have the control to keep this from him." She referred to the child.

"It's probably for the best." Luke nodded solemnly. They sat in silence for a few more moments. And then he spoke again. "You should get some sleep."

"I stay up late now."

"Your body is getting ready for when you will be nurturing the baby." Luke explained. "But you cannot sacrifice your sleep. We are still training."

"Yes, that is true." Rey stood up and stretched. Luke stood up as well and both of them began to move towards the hallway until Luke stopped her.

"Rey," she turned at his words, "as a teacher, I know that the connection being broken is for the best." She nodded and he saw the pain coursing through her at the withdrawal of her other half. "But as a father-figure," she froze at the word, "I am deeply sorry. Leia and I hate to see you like this."

"It is what it is." Rey shrugged. "At least I have you guys."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

He hadn't heard her voice in over a month. He should be relieved. He wanted to forget about her. She was a distraction, a weakness. But all he could do was worry. Why couldn't he hear her? Or even see her? Was she alright? Was she sick? What had happened? Was she safe? Who was she with?

"Stop worrying about her." Skywalker's voice would invade his thoughts. "She is no concern of yours." Ren would get angry. She was every concern of his! She was his. There was no way around it. And he was hers. And yet he had been the one to tell her that they couldn't continue to lean on each other. And now she was gone. And he couldn't take it. He needed to know she was ok. Which was why he was now standing in a private room at Maz's place, praying that she wouldn't throw him out when he proposed his plan to her.

"You." She spat as soon as she stepped in. He had expected this. His men had been terrorizing her territories for years now, killing and driving business away. Plus, she had taken a liking to Rey that he had noticed. She knew of his treachery, also fond of his mother. "What are you doing here?"

"Please, hear me out." His quiet, pleading words obviously shocked her into a moment of silence.

"Get out." She answered a few moments later.

"It's about Rey." He spoke up before she could leave. He looked down at his mask in his hands. How he so wanted to hide behind it, hide his weakness for the girl. He watched Maz freeze and turn back to him.

"The girl with Han?" she asked, her voice softening.

"Yes." Ren nodded.

"I have heard of her connection to you." Maz replied stiffly. "I did not believe it for some time. But you are here on behalf of her. It must be true."

"How did you come to know of it?" he asked in surprise.

"The galaxy knows of it." She snipped. "Of course many don't believe. But there are rumors of a connection between the Resistance and the First Order. And when you showed up here talking about the girl, I only assumed…"

"Yes." He looked away. "I'm here because of Rey."

"What have you ensnared that girl in?" she was apparently still completely suspicious.

"I have not seen her or heard of her in a month." He admitted. "I need to know she's alright." He let the words hang, ashamed to finally admit that he cared. It was the first person other than Rey he had outright said it to.

"You…" Maz was reading into his words, looking for the deeper meaning. "You are fond of the girl." She finally understood. Her eyes flashed in a rage. "How dare you! You are evil, you kill and steal and you have the nerve to love that innocent, faithful girl? How?"

"You think I want to? Of course not! She is a distraction, a hindrance to everything I stand for! But I didn't have a choice. She chose me before I was even born." He hissed. "And I chose her."

"Do not try to speak for her! Rey would never love a monster like you!"

"I don't expect you to believe me." He crossed his arms. "Why would you? I didn't come here to try to make you believe me."

"Then why are you here?" she scoffed.

"I want you to make sure nothing has happened to her." He proposed his real reason for coming to her.

"Why should I help you?" she questioned. "You have never done a good deed in your life."

"The girl is alive because of me." He stated and stared her down. "I would like to know how she is."

"It is not my job to get involved in shady things. I do not help the First Order."

"You help whoever will pay you." He reminded. "And you job does involve much shadier things than this. This is merely personal, not business."

"You imply money?" she asked, a spark of interest in her voice. He knew he had her.

"Yes, a fairly good sum for traveling. You have to locate her, I have no idea where she resides now, but I know you're capable of finding her."

"Of course I am." She added proudly.

"I would like you to find her, make sure she is well."

"I am capable of doing that."

"Do not tell her I sent you." He instructed on sudden impulse.

"Why not?" she asked with suspicion.

"If any of the Resistance found out…"

"Yes, yes I know." She waved him off. "When do I get paid?"

"You only do things for the money." He shook his head.

"Don't get me wrong, it will be a pleasure to visit the girl. I knew she was a good one as soon as I met her." Maz corrected him. "But yes, money is a foundational incentive."

"I will pay you when you return with the news." He spoke with authority. He watched as she frowned. This was not the plan she liked.

"And how do I know you'll pay?" she challenged.

"I swear on the life of Rey, you will be paid." He offered and she saw the sincerity in his eyes, the lonely nights, the pain he suffered in her absence.

"I cannot promise I will do it." She warned as he turned to leave. He had already been away too long. He was supposed to be commanding his men about the war. "These are dangerous times."

"I know." He stopped in the doorway to look at her. "But you're the only person I can risk asking."

"Then I will seriously consider it." She promised and he swept out of the room, putting his mask back on as he did so.

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"Here." Leia placed a plate of pickled onions down in front of Rey. "You're sure you wanted this, right?" she asked skeptically as Rey eyed the food with satisfaction.

"Yep." She nodded and put a forkful of one into her mouth. "Perfect." She saw Leia still looking at her in disbelief. "Did you not crave things when you were pregnant?" Rey asked in defense.

"Not as much as many." Leia admitted and sat down next to Rey on the log to join her for lunch. The women were outside enjoying the sunshine and the breeze. Luke was working inside on some war strategies with the fighter pilots that had stopped by yesterday. "I must say that my pregnancy was outshined by the rise of the First Order. I had many other things on my mind."

"Was Han excited?" Rey asked, a small smile forming when she heard Leia chuckle.

"Very." She nodded. "He insisted we had to have a son to learn to fly the Falcon once we found it. He told me that if it was a girl she'd be learning to fly the Falcon. Lucky for him, he didn't have a thing to worry about." She stopped before it got too much for Rey to handle hearing.

"It's a good day to train." Rey mused.

"Luke will be done soon." Leia promised and Rey nodded.

"It feels so weird." Leia heard Rey speak and looked over to see the girl looking down at her stomach. It feels so hollow, like a bunch of guppies are swimming around in there."

"Something like that." Leia snickered. "Just wait until it starts kicking." She remembered fondly back on her excitement about Ben.

"Does it hurt?" Rey asked.

"It's the most exquisite thing in the world." Leia smiled. "It makes the whole thing so much more real."

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"Maz!" Luke cried as soon as he saw the orange figure step off her ship and approach the hut. He had been outside with two fighters, training them in some technique when she had landed. The fighters both had their blasters drawn as soon as Luke had drawn his lightsaber, but as soon as Luke recognized her, the weapons went down. "What are you doing here?" he walked to meet her and shook her hand firmly.

"I hope I'm welcome?" she asked.

"Very." He nodded. "Just a few complications."

"Always some of those." She waved them off. "Is Leia here?"

"She is." Luke nodded. "I'd like to ask how you found us."

"All in good time." She promised her answer later. "Right now I'd like to go see the general." Luke followed Maz into the hut and pointed her back into the main room where it opened into a mapboard in the middle and couches off to the side where Leia and Rey were sitting, out of the hot afternoon sun, swapping stories about embarrassing missions and hilarious mistakes.

"No way!" Rey was laughing, music to Luke's ears.

"Yes!" Leia was insisting. "And then the walls started to close in on us! Of course."

"It must have smelled so bad." Rey shook her head in disbelief. Luke smiled as he recognized the story Leia was telling. The story of when they were stuck in the garbage shoot.

"I smelled like garbage for at least two weeks after." Leia giggled. Luke hadn't heard her sound so young in a while. He was suddenly very happy Rey and Leia had each other. "Maz!" Leia looked up in surprise when she saw her brother and the orange figure next to him. "What are you doing here?" she rushed to her and the embraced quickly.

"What with the war and all, I was worried about you. Always were one to overwork yourself. But it seems you've been taking it easy." Maz looked past Leia to the girl on the couch. Yes, it was Rey. She had found the girl. She looked very different, but so very much the same as before. She was plumper, as least in the lower body. Her face was a slight bit slimmer. She looked tired, but not overworked. Her cheeks had color in them currently from laughing, but Maz saw the signs of sad eyes just under the surface. "Rey?"

"Maz." Rey stood up and walked over slowly.

"You remember me?" Maz clarified.

"Of course." Rey nodded. "I remember everything about those first few days with Han."

"You are a fine girl." Maz praised her loyalty and Rey thanked her.

"You must have come for more than a visit." Leia perceived.

"I have come to also bring news of the war." Maz thought quickly. She still remembered her mission. She would look into Rey's life, see what had been happening. But she had to cover the fact of why she really was here. That would be easy. There was so much to talk about. "You know the First Order has been imperializing?"

"That's why the war broke out." Leia reminded. "But have they continued?"

"Of course!" Maz cried. "They can't keep their greedy fingers away from everything that is innocent and pure." She snuck a look at Rey as she said this. Luckily, none of them noticed.

"We're working as hard as we can." Leia promised. "We have ambassadors working on peace options and we are constantly strategizing."

"And why aren't you with your Resistance, helping them in this time?" Maz asked skeptically, finding it very peculiar that Leia would desert her crew in this time and choose to live a hermit life, tucked away with the girl and Luke.

"Luke needs me here." Was all she would say. Maz put those words away to consider later.

"And how is training?" Maz turned to Rey. "You are still pursuing the life of a Jedi?"

"Yes." Rey smiled simply. "Luke is a fine master."

"That he is." Maz agreed. "I'm glad he's here to teach you."

"Would you like to see the training field?" Rey offered suddenly and Maz looked at her with a little surprise. "It really is very intricate."

"I would like that very much." Maz agreed. Talking to the girl alone might give her more answers. "Is that alright?" she turned back to Luke and Leia. "I know my business with you was of most importance." She referred again to coming here on behalf of the twins and not the girl.

"I'll make us a late lunch." Leia offered. Luke probably has to finish training.

"Very well." Maz gestured for Rey to lead her out. As they walked out of the back of the hut, Maz felt the girl's eyes on her the whole way. The girl knew. As soon as they were outside and still walking, Rey spoke.

"You are here on my part." Rey didn't even turn to look at Maz. She had changed quite a bit since Maz had seen her last. But the girl she had previously known was still there too.

"Partially." Maz admitted. "How did you come to figure that?"

"I sensed him as soon as you walked in." Rey's voice dropped and Maz looked and saw the pain etched in the girl's face.

"Who?" Maz hoped it wasn't who she was thinking of.

"You know who." Rey spoke tightly.

"You sensed him?" Maz brought the words back up.

"Yes." Rey sighed.

"Your connection is real then?" Maz couldn't believe that Kylo Ren had been telling the truth.

"Quite real." Rey nodded. They stopped at a clearing in the tall grass. It was just a dirt patch where feet had worn it down.

"This is the training field?" Maz asked. "I thought you-"

"You're not the only one who wanted to speak alone." Rey cute her off. Maz looked at her in surprise. "Why did you really come here?"

"Do you love Kylo Ren?" Maz asked a question in answer to a question. She watched as Rey drew back within herself. She had chosen the wrong method to get information. "I ask because I cannot tell you why I came unless I know that you love him."

"I don't understand why you can't just tell me." Rey snapped. Obviously Maz had frustrated her. But she had seemed calm enough just a minute ago.

"Are you well?" Maz asked.

"Well?" Rey narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Are you ill?"

"No." Rey answered firmly. Maz saw a flicker of apprehension in her eyes. "Why would you ask a thing like that?"

"It is not important."

"You came to ask me that?" Rey asked and frowned even more.

"It is not your job to understand." Maz waved off her uncertainty.

"But it is my job to be cautious." Rey countered. "You came to find something out. Came in search of answers."

"Not for me." Maz let the words slip before she could stop them. Rey's eyes widened.

"For him." She murmured the words as if she had suddenly come under a trance. "You need to leave." She spoke so firmly that Maz was shocked. "It is not safe here."

"What are you talking about?" Maz asked as Rey began to walk briskly back to the hut.

"He came to you." Rey wheeled around and looked at Maz with a naked fear in her soul. "He sent you. He wanted information."

"Not that kind of information." Maz saw that the girl was clearly thinking information on the war.

"It doesn't matter." Rey turned around again and continued back, Maz following her. "Connection was cut between us for a reason. He cannot know anything."

"Why?" Maz persisted. "What's wrong?"

"He's with the First Order!" Rey cried. "Is that not enough?"

"No. It isn't." Maz's words stopped Rey and she turned to face Maz. "I know fear when I see it. I also know that war does not bother you, Rey. You are afraid of something else."

"I am afraid of nothing except you prying. I cannot trust anyone who is neutral right now." Little did Maz know that Rey was not referring to the war strategies, but the baby. "Maz, I beg you, do not tell him a thing about me! Promise me you won't!"

"Rey, I will not. But if something is wrong…"

"Nothing is wrong." She insisted. "Please, if you are done, leave."

"I will go." Maz nodded. "Tell Luke and Leia I'm sorry I missed them. I'm also sorry to have upset you."

"Please." Rey pleaded, one hand to her forehead, the other resting on her stomach. Was she ill? Maz was beginning to think so.

00000000000000000000000000000000

"We need to leave!" Rey burst into the hut as Leia was laying plates out.

"What?" she asked in alarm at seeing Rey's face. "Why? What happened? Where's Maz?"

"The First Order sent her here." Rey explained, Leia's eyes widening. Rey made sure not to mention who from the First Order had sent Maz. "And it wasn't about the war."

"The baby." Leia whispered.

"They know something is wrong."

"You mean, he does." Leia perceived. Rey sighed in defeat at being found out.

"Yes. He's getting suspicious." Rey nodded. "Maz doesn't know. She told me that she wouldn't give any information to them, but that's her job, isn't it? The halfway woman?"

"Rey, Maz is an old friend. I highly doubt she'd sell us out. But you're right. If she tells the First Order about our location, things will get ugly. Luke was suspicious of how she found us."

"You think they know our location already?" Rey asked.

"No. We have been here too long. It was getting easy to track us. Too many people coming and going. The First Order doesn't know, but Maz does now. We should leave." Leia explained.

"I'll start packing our stuff." Rey offered.

"I'll get Luke." Leia looked out at the sun already setting. "The cover of darkness will be safer anyway."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

"I didn't know we'd be going to a city." Rey speculated as Luke landed their rented speeder in a small city on the planet of Corellia. She saw Leia's eyes light up.

"This is Han's home planet." Leia said dreamily. "This was one of his first houses, a safe house he built as soon as he started smuggling."

"It isn't in use?" Rey asked as Luke stepped out and inspected the perimeter.

"Not since he's been here." Leia promised, reassuring Rey that she was safe. "Besides, this is a purely industrial planet. Anyone who would've come here would care nothing of our affairs."

"Perimeter looks good." Luke nodded as the two women stepped out and headed for the front door. "It's safe as of now."

"I'll sweep the inside." Leia warned Rey and unlocked the door with her fingerprint. She slipped inside and a minute later called the other two in. A fine layer of dust coated everything and Rey coughed at the musty smell all the rooms had. It was making her stomach turn. "Tomorrow we'll open the windows to air things out, but when we can't see what's outside, it's not safe."

"It will be fine." Rey assured. "Where will I sleep?"

"I think there's a room back there." Leia pointed to a door off the kitchen. "I only came here once when Han was looking for one of his old blasters."

"My room?" Luke asked and Leia pointed back towards the front door. Luke turned and went to go unload the speeder.

"Are we going to continue moving like this constantly?" Rey asked as she stumbled into her room and flicked on the lights. A protective sheet covered the bed but everything else was covered in dust and mildew. "Lovely, isn't it?" Leia called from the kitchen where she was washing all of the dishes.

"A dream come true." Rey called and dropped her bag on the floor. "But I'm just glad we're safe." She added as she came back into the kitchen.

"Me too." Leia nodded emphatically and handed Rey a dish towel and pointed to a pile of wet dishes. "Dry those for me, will you?"

"And in answer to your previous question, yes we will probably have to continue moving."

"And what about when I have the baby?" Rey asked, still finding it hard to speak so openly about her child. "What will happen then?"

"Luke and I haven't discussed enough." Leia replied. "But we have discussed that we need to check on the child, make sure things are going right."

"What?" Rey looked up in concern.

"Rey, we have to. If something is wrong we need to take care of it."

"What do you mean wrong? What makes you think there's something wrong?" she asked in panic.

"Nothing." Leia calmed her down. "But when I was pregnant I had regular visits to a medic to make sure everything was going like it should."

"But we can't trust anyone!" Rey insisted. "I can't! Not with my baby." As soon as she said the words, she realized she had already become attached to it, the possessive, protective words sinking in. She saw Leia register them to and smile lightly. "Why can't you or Luke do it?"

"Neither of us have the medical equipment." Leia chuckled. "But Luke has agreed that it should be done, for your health, and the baby's."

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"Healthy?" Leia asked as the medic scanned over the baby's image.

"Very." The medic promised.

"How far along?" Rey asked, the first words she'd spoken since she had laid down on the exam table.

"I'd say ten weeks." The medic was still examining the image.

"Can you tell the gender yet?" Leia asked.

"I'm afraid not." The medic shook his head and handed the image to Leia. "I have a list of vitamins you need to start taking." He handed a packet to Rey and she took it gingerly, feeling lightheaded as Leia showed her the picture. It looked like a tiny lima bean. And it was hers…well theirs. And suddenly all she wanted was to feel Ren's hands wrapped protectively around her.

"Thank you for your time." Leia stood up and helped Rey into a sitting position.

"Should I schedule another appointment?" the medic asked.

"No no, thank you." Leia shook her head, shook his hand, then excused them and they hurried out to the speeder where Luke was waiting.

"How is everything?" Luke asked as the two bundled in and took deep breaths.

"Everything looks good." Leia nodded. "Rey seems a little out of it."

"It's real." Rey mumbled from the back. Luke chuckled.

"Classic case of motherhood." Leia smiled back at Rey. "Reality begins to sink in."

"Why don't you meditate for a while?" Luke suggested. Rey nodded weakly and closed her eyes, but soon Luke heard only the sounds of the heavy breathing of sleep.

"She's asleep." Leia nodded. "Poor thing, so stressed with worry. She cares more about that child than she'll admit."

"She wants to tell him." Luke spoke up suddenly.

"What?" Leia looked startled.

"She wishes she could tell him. I can see it in her thoughts." Luke explained.

"She knows that's too dangerous."

"She knows it is. That doesn't keep her from wishing he knew."

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"You saw her." Kylo Ren stated as soon as Maz had closed down the café for the night. They were sitting at a slightly greasy table, Maz with a drink in her hand and Ren clenching his fists under the table to keep his patience. "I see it in your eyes."

"I did." Maz kept a straight back, chin up.

"How was she?" he asked quickly.

"She was with friends. She was strong and pursuing her training."

"Do not withhold information from me!" he thundered and looked at her in desperation. "How was she?!"

"She seemed fine at first." Maz began. "But as soon as she knew you had sent me-"

"I told you not to tell her!" he bellowed.

"She already knew!" Maz defended herself. "She said she sensed you."

"What were you going to say?" Ren pushed.

"But as soon as she confirmed you had sent me, she grew panicked. She asked me to leave, told me about some danger, made me promise not to tell you anything. She was begging me to leave at once."

"Did you notice anything unusual about her? Her health?" Ren asked, fearing the worst. For all he knew, she could be drying. No. He couldn't even think of that. It was too painful.

"Her face looked a bit thinner since I had last seen her, but her lower body was definitely plumper. She must have been eating well." Maz pointed out. "But her face was drawn tight in pain, not necessarily physical, and her eyes had a layer of worry over them, worry for another being, a worry I haven't seen in eyes in a long time."

"Oh God." Ren shook his head and passionately pounded his fist on the table. "They're hiding something!" he looked up quickly at Maz. "I need their location!"

"That was not part of the deal." Maz shook her head. "Rey made me promise not to speak of it. I have already broken part of our promise to bring news to you."

"I need to see her! Something is wrong. I feel it."

"It doesn't matter anyways." Maz sighed and slumped a bit. "I saw the look in Rey's eyes. She was leaving."

"You mean she ran?"

"Most likely. Whatever I said must have been enough to scare her into leaving." Maz looked at Kylo Ren with curiosity. "You have unspeakable power. You stand for everything evil. You could torture me until I told you the location. Yet you don't?"

"I would torture you if it meant knowing Rey was ok." He sighed.

"I suppose she had enough of a head start that giving you the location of her former residence could do no harm." Maz sighed.

"How much do you want?" Kylo Ren drew out his trading pouch and dropped a few coins into Maz's small hands.

"It was on an unmarked planet." Maz drew a map out onto the table and unfolded it and pointed to a blank space that was circled in red. "It's there. The hut is on the east end, on the only marshland that isn't completely soaking in peat. Thought I don't know what going there will do you, but that's it."

"Thank you." Ren sighed grudgingly at having gained so much dependence on the orange creature. "But just to make sure you won't tell anyone of these meetings," he flashed out his lightsaber in one quick sweep and held it close to her face, grabbing a fistful of her shirt to pull her neck close the flame. She gulped and he narrowed his eyes. "I could kill you." He reminded.

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The hut was utterly deserted. The front door stood open in the evening sun, the dust blowing in through all the windows, fire ashes cold, dishes left around but they were clean. The beds were made, but not touched in at least a day. Kylo Ren let out a frustrated growl. Where had she gone and what was going on? And then as he stormed through the last room in the hut, he saw something. He stepped into what looked like just another bedroom and saw a gold band. He instantly recognized it as one of the bands that held back her hair. He picked it up and removed his gloves to feel it. Soft, just like her hair, her skin. He sighed and watched it shimmer in the sinking sun. He looked around the room, sparsely furnished, but neatly kept. The bed was there and a small mat under the window that looked like had been used more than the bed. And then nothing else but a small table against the other wall. He went to it and ran his hand lightly over the top, his fingers leaving dust trails. He opened one of the drawers and instead of finding more dust, a small piece of paper fluttered out. As a reflex he snatched it out of the air as if it were trying to kill him and crushed it in his fist. As his heart calmed, he unclenched his fist and unfolded the paper. Her lovely, elegant handwriting slanted across the page:

 _month: unknown_

 _nausea is better. Leia is happier. Continued training, no signs of being found. Haven't heard him in over a month now. No kicking yet, but I'm pretty sure-_

The words stopped as if her thought had been interrupted and she hadn't had time to continue. The markings were already fading so he deduced that it had been written at least a month ago. He reread the information, coming to the conclusion that she had kept general track of her time here and had missed this entry when clearing out her belongings. It held no meaning for him other than the fact that she had been here. He pondered the words. Nausea. So she had been sick. But she had said it was better. Leia is happier. She was with his mother. He sighed. He had expected that. She was still training, Maz had said that much. No one had found out their location yet, at least not that she knew of. And then she referred to _him_. Just looking at the way she wrote it, the words getting wobbly and a drop on the paper that looked like a tear stain, he knew she was talking about him. He couldn't think more into that or he knew he'd sit down and not move for fear of crying out in agony of missing her. No kicking, the last eligible words on the paper. And he had no idea what they meant.

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"It's kicking!" Rey sat up and squealed. Lights flicked on and Luke and Leia came rushing into her room. Rey was wide-eyed and breathing hard. The feeling had stopped now. "And now it's not…" her voice tapered off as the two waited for her to say something. She watched their expectant faces change to grumpy ones. "Sorry." She grimaced a laughed a little.

"I'm going back to sleep." Luke grumbled and left. Leia blinked blearily and smiled a little at Rey.

"Exciting, isn't it?"

"Sorry." Rey apologized again.

"Tell me about it in the morning." Leia sighed and turned out the light. Rey laid her head back down on the pillow but could not fall asleep. Her heart was still pounding loudly in her chest, the excitement still lingering. It had happened, she had felt it. And she swore that as she placed her hands over her stomach she could feel the baby's heartbeat too.

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The pounding sound echoed in his ears as he turned in bed. It was tiny, it was new, it was young. He heard a heartbeat.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

"There's something you aren't telling us." Hux snarled at Ren and threw a punch that Ren ducked easily. "Something about the girl."

"I tell Snoke everything I know." He replied haughtily.

"I highly doubt that. You underestimate the power of the First Order, Ren. We know about your meeting with Maz. We know about your journeys to uncharted planets. We know you're looking for her, that she isn't dead. The question is, why are you looking for her? There's something important there, is there not?"

"Nothing that I know of." He lied. He felt the importance of situation thickening in the room as they spoke.

"I see you're lying." Hux smiled evilly. "That girl always was a pleasure. It would be so enjoyable to have her back, make sure she doesn't cause problems."

"What are you saying?" Kylo choked out.

"Send me a group of troopers and prepare them for travel." Hux turned to a droid in the corner. It rolled out obediently. "We just might pay that girl a little visit."

"You do not touch her!" Kylo yelled before he could stop himself, he was lunging towards Hux, determined that he would never even lay eyes on Rey again. Not his Rey.

"Control yourself!" Snoke's voice bellowed in Ren's head and he froze. "You are weak. You know the girl is a danger. She must be found and kept away from the Resistance. I sense they are plotting. We will not harm her, we just need to keep her away. She is a dangerous asset."

"Yes, Master." Kylo choked back and looked up at Hux who was smirking at him. "We do not hurt her."

"Of course not." Hux promised, having every intention of hurting her once he got his hands on her.

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Rey couldn't imagine who could be knocking on the door. Both Luke and Leia had gone out to have a meeting with old friends. She was wary at first when she heard the knocks on the door. She first decided to let them go away and come back later if it really was important. But as the knocking continued, keeping her from taking her afternoon nap, she gave in and moved to the door, checking to make sure her lightsaber was in her belt.

"Who is it?" Rey called, hand on the doorknob.

"Maz." The voice called. Rey recognized the raspy tone quickly and cracked the door. She gasped as she saw Maz standing in the arms of a Stormtrooper, arm around her neck. The trooper acted quickly, trying to force the door open. Rey responded in a flash, terrified, her thoughts immediately going to the baby. Not on her watch. She drew her lightsaber and turned to the window that was next to the door. She punched out the glass and surged the saber out, slicing off his head. Maz fell to the ground and immediately blasters were shooting at the hut. She was surrounded. Great.

"Maz, get in here!" Rey ordered and she helped the orange figure inside and threw her on the couch.

"Rey I'm so so-"

"Save it!" Rey spat. "Just stay out of my way and don't get killed." She ordered and watched as a blaster bolt shot through the smashed window and blew a clay jar to pieces. Rey gulped. Just great. It had been so long since she had actually thought a threat, she channeled all her energy into remembering everything she and Luke had been practicing. She looked down at her fist, glass shards stuck in her skin. The sight made her sick so she looked back at the front door, knowing that at any moment they could come charging through. They obviously had the whole hut surrounded, she heard yelling around the back side of the structure. The hair on the backs of her arms stood on end. She knew what was coming. "Duck!" she screamed as the front door exploded. She threw Maz behind the couch and coughed as the silt began to clear. The heard them approaching. She thought quickly. How many would there be? If they had come for her they probably would have sent six men, so three in the front, three in the back? Or two in the front, two in the back, and one on each side. That sounded more likely. She decided to just take them down as they came. She lunged out into the open, grabbing the first one by his mask and flipping him over her back and cracking at least one of his spinal disks on the floor. She heard him cry in pain. A bolt whizzed by her arms, singing the top layer of her skin. She smelled the sizzling cells and tried not to get sick. She met the next trooper and readied her saber as she saw him pull out his electric pack. But just as she was about to take her first jab, his head was blown clean off. Silence encompassed her.

"Rey?" she heard Leia's voice calling above the settling ashes.

"Leia?" Rey called back. She heard some wood shifting around and saw Leia running towards her through what remained of the house. "Leia!" Rey cried and embraced her tightly.

"You're ok?" Leia asked, her general mindset sinking in. "Injuries? We need to leave right now."

"Maz is behind the couch." Rey added and she was Leia's eyes widen. "The troopers found her. I think she sold us out."

"Luke will get her." Leia sighed. "We can't let her go again this time. She knows too much."

"Luke's ok?" Rey asked as Leia quickly gathered her things.

"He's fine, go get your stuff!" she ordered sharply, gesturing for Rey to hurry. Rey dashed back to her room to collect her things.

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"Another planet?" Luke didn't want to believe the words he was hearing. "They took another planet?"

"Not a civilian left alive." Poe shook his head. "We can't keep holding them off forever. Whatever they're trying to accomplish, they aren't going to stop."

"How's Finn?" Luke asked.

"He's just fine." Poe nodded. "Loving life as a pilot."

"Good, good." Luke nodded. He and Leia and Rey had chanced coming back to the Resistance base for a few days in order to touch base with everyone on what the war was looking like. Since Rey hadn't been in contact with Ren in over two months, he assume it would be safe to stay for at least a couple hours before the First Order started tracking them again. As of now, Rey was in one of the back rooms getting her arms and hands treated. Leia was discussing war options with the lieutenants.

"Now tell me again why the First Order is targeting Rey. Is it to get to you again?" Poe asked quietly as he and Luke surveyed the ships going in and out of the hanger.

"The information is classified." Luke replied coolly. Poe saw the worry lines on Skywalker's face. Something sinister was going on and he was worried for all three of the travelers.

"Luke!" Leia's voice rang above all the others on the tarmac and Luke turned to see his sister racing towards him, eyes wide with panic. "Luke, we found something I think you should see."

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"It's not just imperializing anymore. They're killing innocent creatures everywhere they stop." Leia explained as she and Luke and a group of soldiers poured over the maps. "We have a theory and I don't think you're going to like it." She finished weakly.

"Tell me." He ordered, not afraid to hear.

"We think this war is a distraction." Leia cringed. Luke stared at her in silence for a few moments, then narrowed his eyes.

"You mean to tell me that you think that all this bloodshed and waste of resources and evil is just one big distraction?"

"Pretty much." Leia grimaced.

"A distraction for what?!" he bellowed. Leia motioned for one of the soldiers to switch the diagram of the map to the diagram of the Resistance's planet orbit. Luke stared hard at the screen trying to spot what they were getting at. And then he saw it. It was a ship, an unknown ship. Its path showed that it had been circling the planet for days.

"Please tell me that's a supply-carrier." Luke looked to Leia. She sucked in her breath and shook her head.

"We have reasons to believe that that ship is most definitely one of the First Order's. Its speed is fairly good, guns quite powerful. Our guys are still doing some research on the make and model. We can guess that this is not a suicide mission, just by the fact that the ship is waiting. Waiting for what, we don't really know."

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"You're what?!" Poe couldn't believe what he was hearing. The minute he had seen Rey he had known something was off. She was paler, her face thinner, just as pretty, but thinner. Her cheekbones were showing much more and it looked like she never slept well. But other than her face, most of her body was plumper, especially her stomach and ankles which looked swollen.

"Shhh!" Rey shushed him and looked around the room, double checking that the door was closed. "You weren't supposed to find out." She cringed. He was reacting about as well as she had expected. She saw his hands ball into fists.

"Who?" he snarled. "Who did this to you?"

"That's not important." Rey tried to brush the question away.

"Rey!" Poe snapped. "I want to know! Tell me! Who did this to you?!" she could see he was very intent on knowing.

"You can't get mad." She pleaded.

"I already am."

"It was my fault too." She added quietly.

"Just tell me who and…" his voice trailed off as he saw the expression on her face. "It was him?" he choked. She winced. That was all the confirmation he needed. "It was him!" he shouted. "He's so dead!"

"Poe!" Rey yelled, trying to get him to think clearly. "Look at me!"

"What?" he shouted, clearly distraught.

"I told him to!" she shouted, unaware of the words she was shouting before she could stop them. After they were out, both of them just looked at each other in silence.

"Rey, why…how…he's…"

"I know." Rey breathed, suddenly feeling quite dizzy. She also had the urge to take a nap. She had those urges a lot now that she was getting fatter and fatter.

"I can't…why would you…with him…he's…"

"He's perfect." She spoke, for once not afraid to say what she thought. Before Poe could say anymore, she turned and opened the door to leave. "I'm trusting you not to tell anyone." She added without turning around.

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"He's perfect." The beautiful words rang in his ears. He knew it wasn't a dream. He heard it for the first time in months. Perfect. And he knew it in his heart she was talking about him. Perfect. He cherished the word. She had never been so…open with how she felt about anything. He looked at the ship monitor and watched as one of his small fighter ships continued to circle the Resistance base waiting to find the perfect time to bring Skywalker and Rey back to Snoke. Once they had those two, the First Order could begin to take whatever they want, heck have complete galactic domination. They just needed Skywalker. And Rey. He grimaced. He was so torn. He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want to see her face when he locked her up again, not after what they had been through. But he had a duty to the First Order and Snoke. And he wouldn't forsake everything he had worked for.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

"The plan is still waiting to be implemented." Hux announced to Ren as he entered Snoke's chamber.

"I'm aware of this." Kylo snapped and brushed past Hux coolly as Hux exited and he entered.

"Kylo Ren." Snoke's deep voice called him up the path to the throne of the sith lord. "We have much to discuss."

"The plan will work." Kylo began, praying that Snoke would not bring up Rey.

"That is not what I am concerned with." Snoke held up his hand and silenced the knight. "You know what I want to talk about."

"I have suspected." Ren muttered darkly.

"Do you not see that I am aware of the connection between you two?" Snoke challenged.

"The Force bond has never been a secret."

"I was not referring to the Force bond." Snoke retorted. Kylo's head snapped up at the words. "I was referring to the pure human attraction."

"I do not understand…" Ren lied, and swallowed roughly.

"Do not take me for a fool." Snoke replied as if he was bored. "Petty attractions get in the way, Ren. Anakin Skywalker is your hero, your aspiration, yet he too let petty attractions enter into his life and look how it ended."

"He led the Empire for many years, letting nothing stop him." Ren replied quickly, scared to let Snoke continue.

"Yes, but you fail to bring up his weaknesses. He too was like you, his weakness being compassion for others. It is not a good thing to be so weak when it comes to those who deserve no weakness. Padme Amidala was constantly in the way of his noble strivings, and eventually Luke Skywalker was his downfall."

"I am not Anakin Skywalker." Ren replied confidently.

"You are too similar." Snoke shook his head. "I was afraid of this."

"I have not failed you, Master. Do not lose faith in me."

"Then do not lose faith and sight in what you have worked for!" Snoke roared passionately. "That girl is nothing but a scavenger! She came from nowhere, a mere nobody! She is worth _nothing_." Ren winced at the words. Images of her tangled in his sheets flashed across his mind. Her face as he would brush one of her stray hairs behind her ear. Her pure, innocent eyes that looked at him like all she saw was good. Her faith that he was still good. The desire, the passion. He heard her moans, felt the bed shake, heard her panting again. He felt her in his arms, as if she had been made just for him. She had been made for him. They were made for each other. The perfect balance. She was not nothing. She was not a nobody. She was HIS scavenger. And she was certainly not worthless.

"Yes, Master."

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"I can't see my feet." Rey stated in shock as she stared down the couch and all that blocked her view was her stomach. Leia chuckled lightly and watched as Rey moved her feet back and forth and still could not see them. "I'm fat!"

"Well, that would make sense, wouldn't it?" Leia asked jokingly.

"Brought you some tea." Poe handed the cup down to her hands where she was laying. She sat up a bit to drink the tea, but as soon as she smelled it she pulled it away from her mouth. "Did you put honey in this?"

"Yes." Poe looked at her warily. "You asked me to."

"Oh." Rey frowned.

"Let me guess…."

"I was actually craving some plain tea, with maybe a pinch of sugar." She smiled meekly at him.

"Ok." He sighed and took the mug from her. "Hang tight." He disappeared again. It was hard to like this girl like this. She was so demanding. Only someone who truly loved her would ever like her like this.

"He's being a pretty good sport." Leia nodded after Poe and Rey nodded slightly.

"Except for the fact that he will never mention anything about it and won't ever look me in the eye." Rey sighed. "He's still upset."

"I was too." Leia reminded. "Rey, it's a lot to take in, to understand. I still don't think you understand it. I sure don't. In fact, sometimes I wake up, ready to go and chew you out for still being so stupid. But it's over and we need to keep reminding ourselves of that. Everything happens for a reason. And just the fact that you still trust him…gives me hope for him." Leia added the last words quietly and looked off into space, lost in thought.

"Tea, with sugar, for the lump on the couch." Poe handed the new mug to Rey and she took it thankfully.

"Thanks."

"Sure." Poe nodded and went to sit next to Leia on the couch opposite Rey. "Have you been there all day?" Poe asked as he caught sight of Rey's blankets and pillows.

"I'm tired." Rey replied defensively. "You would be too if you were lugging this thing around."

"I take it back." Poe chuckled.

"It's common for women to be especially tired in their third trimester." Leia explained.

"I'll pretend I know what that means." Poe sighed.

"It means that I'm six months pregnant and I'm exhausted." Rey groaned to the ceiling. "I didn't expect it to weigh this much!"

"It's obviously very healthy." Leia nodded her approval.

"I said heavy not healthy." Rey sighed and flopped her head back on the pillow. "Please tell me I don't have to move somewhere today."

"No promises yet." Leia watched as Poe mouthed that he needed to go and went to go get suited up for training. "Luke wanted to do a checkup with you. The closer this gets, the more susceptible you can be to things going wrong."

"That's not worrisome at all."

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"You cannot! I will not let you!" Leia shouted to Luke after he had proposed his idea. "That is reckless!"

"It's bold." Luke corrected as he tested the weight of his lightsaber.

"You don't even know it will solve the problem!"

"I AM the problem!" Luke shook his head at her. "Everything that has happened is because of me. This must be settled. It is time to face my opponents instead of letting the people I care for take the blows of my cowardice."

"It is not just you." Leia insisted. "Rey and and the war and of course the Resistance has always fought for freedom which the First Order constantly works to dissolve. This is not the way to go about fixing this."

"I believe it is." Luke replied firmly. "I will face Kylo Ren and his generals. They have been after me for years. I knew the time would come that I would face him again. I feel it now that the time has come. I need to stop them before they can do any more damage to you or Rey or the…baby." Luke stumbled over the word, watching the sky, always nervous that Kylo Ren would hear.

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"It's about time we took action." Poe nodded emphatically and gestured to the maps spread out on the kitchen table in the sector where Leia and Rey were residing, away from any eyes that would give Rey away. They couldn't risk anyone seeing her, especially since her condition was extremely obvious now.

"Keep your voice down." Leia instructed. "Rey can't hear. The minute she hears our plan she's going to want to join in the fighting and we can't let her do that. She needs to be kept away, safe and hidden."

"I understand."

"Luke is not aware of the idea yet either and I have a feeling he won't like it."

"Why not?" Poe wondered.

"Well, we are short on troops and many of our resources have been cut off or damaged. It is a risky move. Besides, Luke was planning a trip of his own and to discover that we are taking the offence, he will not be pleased that so many of us are sacrificing." Leia sighed and began to circle different planets on the maps.

"Well, though we are low on resources, the Resistance has never had any trouble fighting. We are strong and unified. If it is battle you want, we will prepare for battle."

"Who's preparing for battle?" Rey materialized in the kitchen and Poe jumped a bit and cleared his throat. Leia looked at Poe with a sour face.

"Yep. Kept your voice down." Leia muttered sarcastically.

"Battle? No, no battle." Poe stammered.

"Lies." Rey shook her head. "I knew something was up! For once I wasn't asleep and I hear we're going to actually do something other than hold the First Order back? We're going to fight?"

"Slow down." Leia held up her hands. "It's in the preliminary stages. I'm not even sure if this will work. It's just a hypothetical idea right now."

"A good one." Rey sighed and began to rummage through the cabinets for something to eat. "I'm tired of all this sitting around. I just know we can get the First Order to come to some kind of agreement. They are powerful, but we are the renowned peace-keepers of the galaxy. We just need to take action."

" _You_ need to calm down." Leia sighed and pointed to a chair. Rey frowned and crossed her arms.

"I'm sick of everyone treating me like I'm a child." She huffed. "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I have to just sit around."

"Actually, it does." Leia retorted. "You can barely walk into the kitchen without getting tired, you could bust that thing out early and that's dangerous. You can get sick so easily and almost everyone in the galaxy is trying to kill you except Luke and me! I'd hope you can understand why you might have to sit this one out." Leia turned back to the maps. Rey sighed and looked away, wishing she could walk back to the couch, but suddenly feeling exhausted and deciding she'd rest in the chair a few minutes longer. She was in her seventh month and the weight of that fact hung over her like an impending storm. She could feel it kicking all the time now, experienced the discomfort of the cramps Leia called "Braxton hicks"? Rey still had no idea. She worried about the actual labor, knowing by instinct that it was supposed to be extremely painful and also knowing that she was basically walking around with a target in her stomach. Who knew when someone could shoot her down, pull another stunt like back at the safehouse. And who knew when her connection with Kylo Ren would return? She'd felt glimpses of him, never saw him, when the baby kicked the hardest, always afraid that he would see, that he would know. And what would happen if Leia decided to actually take action, take the offense and use the extent of the Resistance's power? People would die in the thousands, millions. And all because of what? Her? The baby? Two peoples' mistake, a night that she would never take back, but I night she could never face again. And now not only was she paying for it (not being able to see any of her friends to keep her secret), now everyone in the Resistance was paying too. How could she have been so selfish? And what about when she did give birth? Things could happen during labor. What if the baby wasn't healthy? No one had even been talking about what would happen once she did conceive. Where would the baby go? She couldn't keep it! She knew nothing about being a mother. Besides, she had sworn her life to the Jedi. She couldn't quit now to play house! She couldn't sit back and watch the First Order destroy everything and everyone for years to come. No way. Something had to be figured out about where the child would go. Obviously it had to be somewhere safe. Somewhere inconspicuous. The child could never be told who its parents were. Rey's heart broke at the thought, the thought of being abandoned, but she knew Leia would find the child a loving family. It wouldn't even know the difference. And maybe with a stroke of luck the First Order would assume the threat gone, maybe that the child never existed. And maybe because of that, all worry would be gone.

"What are you thinking about?" Poe tapped her shoulder gently, startling her.

"Oh, not much."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Drink this." Leia placed a cup of milk in Rey's hands. "Give the baby a shot of calcium." Rey fingered the cup gently, not feeling the urge to drink it. "Your mind is occupied." Leia read.

"Do you know where Luke is?" Rey asked quietly.

"I'll go find him." Leia nodded and left Rey in silence. It was late and the sounds of the night had taken over the base. Sounds of soldiers laughing in their bunking arrangements, the crickets and frogs, the cool breeze that blew through the hut. "So different than nights of Jakku." She mumbled aloud as she sensed Luke approaching her. She watched him come around from behind her and take a seat in a chair across from her. When she saw that Leia was not with him she was relieved.

"She went to bed." Luke assured Rey.

"You can't go through with it." Rey spoke up immediately. Luke sighed in frustration. "You just can't. That's not how we should solve all this. You can't fight them-"

"Rey, yes I can."

"You didn't let me finish. I was going to say you can't fight them…on your own." She replied quietly, not looking him in the eye.

"Not happening."

"I could help!" she insisted. "You and me! We could bring them down. I know we could."

"Look at you." Luke chuckled. "You're eight months pregnant. You're not fighting anyone."

"I need to do…something!" she cried.

"Why?" Luke asked. "Rey, why are you set on being involved in this?"

"Because."

"Rey…."

"Because I feel so…so guilty!" she cried. "You don't know the guilt! And all I have to do is look down and I'm reminded that….I am responsible for all of this. I broke the agreement. I already ruined the life of the child. I gave history a chance to repeat itself."

"History will not-"

"Yes! It will! The dreams. You knew from the beginning, didn't you? You knew my connection to Padme."

"What's done is done." Luke sighed and looked behind him out the window. "Leia found someone to…take the child." Luke spoke, his voice soft, not sure how Rey would react. When she heard him speak the words she couldn't explain what came over her. Her vision faded and blurred with tears, blurring into a night long ago, far away.

"Kiss me." She spoke again, feeling his strong hands envelope her, hold her with tender care, pure love. She watched as the same hands scooped up a child, chestnut brown locks, dark and curly. She was laughing. He held her high above his head, his dark robes gone, his gloves gone, his skin exposed to light, a light he had not tasted for years. She watched as he chased the child in circles, catching her before she could fall, comforting her if she got scared. He looked up, away from the child for the first time and looked right at her. She froze.

"You're awake." He replied, his husky voice circling her in comfort. She didn't know how to respond. She opened her mouth to call to him, but before she could a figure walked out from beside her and went to take his hand. She gasped it was her. Their fingers twined together and she rested her head on his shoulder. She was pregnant again. They walked off into the glowing evening with their daughter dancing in front, leading them wherever she pleased. She felt her cheeks were wet with tears. She heard the friction of fabric, the cold air of the ship.

 _"Scavenger." He pulled back, breathless, his nickname for her a compliment this time instead of an insult._

 _"I always felt this way about you." He promised and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head._

 _Nothing mattered in that moment except the two of them._

 _"I want you." She breathed, out loud, her breath gaspy and sweet._

 _"I want this. I want you." She shook her head and brushed a hand across his cheek. "I need you."_

 _She didn't know about tomorrow or the day before this one, she only knew that right then, he was hers and she was his and for the first time she felt balance in the Force. Complete, whole balance._

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"Rey?" Luke's voice pulled her back to reality. She was shaking and she could feel the tears dripping down her neck, rolling off her cheeks, spilling on the floor.

"I want to feel that again." She gasped, not caring anymore what Luke thought.

"What did you see?"

"You knew there was another child!" she wheeled on him in rage. "You saw that! I know you did! We have a family! We could be happy!"

"At the cost of lives, war, and a galaxy in chaos!" Luke replied, rising to her cries. "I kept it from you, knowing how you would react."

"Of course this is how I'm going to react!" she turned away, trying to gain a sense of control. "I can't even feel him anymore!"

"I thought that's what you wanted!" Luke retorted. "All you wanted was for him to be gone, to leave you alone! The Bond is broken!"

"No!" Rey screamed. "It's not broken! It's dissolved! I still see him. I hear him. It just never is him. I see him in everything. I still smell his room, I still feel his hands on me! God, I love him!"

Luke listened in shock. He had not expected her to come out like that and say it. He watched her convulse into sobs, her body shaking. She went to stand in the open doorway to catch the breeze. Her silk dress blew flawlessly in the wind. Her wet cheeks reflected the light of the moon.

"I love him." He heard her whisper to the night. "I just want him back."

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"I love him." He heard the words quite clearly. "I just want him back." Rey! He sat up in bed, covered in a cold sweat. He swore it was her.

"Rey!" he cried, trying to open a connection, just like he did every day, just like it never worked. "Rey!" He pounded the headboard in frustration as he felt the connection losing life. "I love you!" he yelled in anger. He fell silent, defeated back on the mattress.

"I love you too." He heard a sliver of her whisper brush past his ear. He flinched. He was in pain. So much pain. He stared down at his bloody fists and the wrecked headboard. He couldn't keep on like this.

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"It's time." Hux darkened the doorway to Ren's room. Kylo Ren looked up from downward gaze. "The Resistance troops retreated. It's time to attack the Base."

"Did Snoke give orders?" Ren asked tiredly, suddenly feeling very old.

"An hour ago."

"Ready my troops. I'll be the one to find Skywalker." He stood up, sliding on his gloves as he did.

"No need." Hux smiled evilly. "Skywalker is coming to you."

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"This was a stupid idea." Finn said for about the thousandth time. Luke sighed again. Finn had not been the easiest travel companion. "We should have at least told someone we were going."

"The whole point of us leaving like this was the secrecy." Luke explained for what he felt like was the hundredth time.

"I hate this feeling of waiting." Finn grumbled.

"The long travel can't be helped." Poe added quietly from the back. Luke nodded. At least he had a rational companion. Poe had years of experience and reminded Luke of himself as a young pilot.

"Just get some sleep." Luke advised Finn. "We have at least a few more hours."

"That is, if we don't get shot down first." Finn replied, frowning.

"I know how the Emp-" Luke stopped and corrected himself, "the First Order works. They'll let us come to them. They'll know it's me."

"Well isn't that just a comforting thought." Finn reclined a bit in his seat.

"Well would you rather them not know it's us and shoot us down without questions, thinking we're a merchant ship that accidentally crossed into their region?"

"Touche." Finn replied and closed his eyes.

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"General!" a panicked soldier dashed into the hut. Rey looked up in shock. No one had dared to set a foot in the hut unless specifically asked for. She stood up slowly, her balance faltering every day. The soldier looked at her in surprise for a moment.

"Are you looking for General Organa?" Rey asked, stuttering, hoping that the soldier would not focus on her stomach. Or know who she was.

"Um, yes." He nodded, catching his breath. "It's urgent."

"I'll find her." Rey nodded and went to find Leia the two women returned quickly to find the soldier pacing the floor and joined by a second officer who was looking out the window, back straight, hands balled into fists at his side.

"Officer, lieutenant." Leia announced her presence and acknowledged the men.

"General." They nodded, then looked to Rey. Leia saw the hesitation on their faces.

"What's this about?" she asked, caution lacing her voice.

"We think she should leave." The officer nodded to Rey. Rey frowned indignantly.

"Do you know who I-" Rey began, but Leia cut her off.

"She's fine. Now, tell me. What's wrong?"

"Radar spotted a swarm of ships approaching. Land threat alarms have been sounding warnings. We're under direct attack. It's a war on the base." The officer breathed. Leia sucked in a breath of shock and looked back at Rey.

"Have they declared war?" Rey asked.

"Not five minutes ago." The lieutenant replied, voice shaking.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Leia bellowed and reached for her jacket. "Ready the troops! Have you sounded the attack bell? Where's our weaponry key? Who's in charge of this?" she began firing off orders to the two men.

"We have that all started." The officer assured. "We came to tell you that negotiation communication has been opened and we need you to direct it. We only have one shot at stopping them."

"Did they give a reason for declaring war?" Rey spoke up. The two men looked to her.

"They only sent four words: "history shall not repeat"." The lieutenant frowned. Leia gasped and looked back to Rey. She watched the girl's face grow pale, the color flee from her cheeks, her eyes dilate.

"I'm coming. Peace must be reached!" Leia announced and ushered the two men out the door.

"Leia!" Rey cried, stopping Leia in the doorway. "Let me come with you!"

"No."

"They know. That's the only reason they would send that message. Let me come and negotiate. Let me try to talk to him. Maybe I can…reason with him."

"That's not possible." Leia shook her head. "He can't be reasoned with. Besides, he's probably not even there. Knowing him he'll be leading the last wave, from an inconspicuous spot, undetected by us."

"Leia, let me help! I know how they work! I've seen the ship! I can help!"

"It's too dangerous. This is war, Rey. Now I want you to gather up any soldiers' children and wives and make for the bunkers in the hills. It's our best shot. We won't go down." With that Leia disappeared out into the light of the early morning.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Where's Luke?" Leia's hands were scrambling over the desktops, searching for extra weapons, battle maps, utility plans, anything that could help them remember the lay of the land. Leia looked up to see if anyone had heard her. Many stared back at her, but none had an answer. She growled in frustration and dashed out onto the flight tarmac and her eyes fell on the place where Luke's ship had been parked. It was gone. "No." Leia breathed.

"Leia!" Rey's voice rang across the tarmac. Leia jolted around and saw Rey armed, hair tied back. "He's gone!"

"The complete idiot!" Leia screamed and Rey jogged to her. "I told him not to! Now he's rushing into something that will do no good!"

"What do you mean?" Rey asked. "Where is he?"

"He went to find Kylo Ren." Leia breathed, eyes gliding up to look at the light rain that began to fall, the bright sun reflecting off each droplet. Rey's dress fluttered, the soft fabric reminding Leia of the holograms of her mother.

"He WHAT?!" Rey cried. "He went without me?!"

"That's what you're worried about?" Leia looked at the girl in shock.

"He took Finn and Poe and not me?!"

"What do you mean he took Finn and Poe?" Leia looked back at the base, then to Rey.

"I can't find either of them." Rey gasped for breath and Leia remembered the baby.

"It isn't good for you to be out running around like this." Leia stopped Rey's rant. "And why are you armed like that? I told you to go to the bunkers."

"I found a lieutenant to be in charge of the women and children. There aren't that many that actually live on base. I am in the middle of this. I deserve to be out here, to know what's going on." Rey frowned.

"Get back inside." Leia ordered.

"No." Rey retorted.

"Rey," Leia's voice was quiet with worry, but firm, "I can't afford to have you die. You're all I have left. Luke is flying into a death trap, Han, my son, they're all gone. You and this little baby are all that's left of my family. I'm not going to let you throw yourselves away."

"Leia." Rey tried to stop the general, but she had already turned and was hurrying back inside. "Family." Rey whispered the words to herself. The vision of her children flashed across her mind. All the times Luke had resembled a father. Her eyes caught sight of a high-speed ship being prepped for flight. And an idea blossomed. Luke was flying into a death trap, along with Finn and Poe. She had always fought alongside them. And she wasn't about to stop now. She knew what she needed to do. She jogged over to the ship, checking her surroundings, and cradling her stomach, the weight of it making her dizzy. She prayed for a calm stomach, because right then, it felt like it was full of a billion tiny guppy fish.

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"How will we know where their base is?" Finn asked as he and Poe checked maps for coordinates. "We don't even know what planet it's on."

"Find a ship that has a hangar, land, take over, and find the course to the base." Luke listed calmly.

"That seems like a high probability of something going wrong." Finn added.

"There's always a chance something will go wrong. That's why we're doing this."

"First Order ship, three o'clock." Poe spoke up suddenly. Luke checked the reader and saw the thermal waves the ship was emitting. "We're about twenty minutes off."

"Thank you, Poe." Luke nodded and reset the ship's course navigator.

"Wait, whoa whoa. You're taking us towards the bad guys?" Finn looked at Luke.

"I told you. In order to find their base, we have to get one of their ships." Luke sighed and looked at Poe for help.

"What there isn't like some universal First Order password that will tell you where the base is?" Finn asked helplessly.

"Well perhaps there is. But if it's a password, then we wouldn't know it!" three pieces of metal broke off the ship's interior and clattered to the floor. Luke sighed in defeat. "Forgive me, Poe, would you mind repairing that?"

"Not at all." Poe nodded.

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"You breathe one word and you're dead." Rey reminded the resistance boy she had found refueling the ship. He nodded vehemently and she watched as he raced across the tarmac and began to refuel another ship that had just landed. She shook her head. He already looked conspicuous. She gave it half an hour tops until Leia found out. Oh well. It was enough time. She climbed into the cockpit, the door hissing closed behind her. There was no going back.

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"It's been years since I've seen the rebirth of what Darth Vader started," Luke caught his breath as he pulled himself into the cockpit of the ship they had boarded. "and I'm not impressed." Poe and Finn were laughing. "Only three men guarding the terminal and two pilots? Piece of cake." Luke rerouted the ship to its built-in auto-pilot and the ship tracked itself to its base. Finn and Poe sat down, reloading their blasters while Luke took deep breaths. It had been so long since he used the Force to battle. It had been a blur, a rush. But when he heard the joyous hollers of Poe and Finn from the command deck, Luke knew he had done the right thing.

"We're due to land at the base in about two hours." Poe read the meter over Luke's shoulder. "If we had taken a smaller ship we could've gotten there faster."

"I'm aware." Luke replied quietly. "Patience. You sound just like my Padawan." He chuckled. "Patience was never her strong suit."

"You mean Rey?" Finn spoke up.

"Yes." Luke replied.

"I still don't understand why you didn't tell her," Finn began, "I mean if anyone can help us it's her. She defeated Kylo Ren once, she can do it again. And it would be good training."

"I said she would not come and that was final." Luke spoke firmly and Finn backed off away. Poe nodded behind him to motion Finn into the back of the ship. The sound of his footsteps quieting, Poe took it as safe to speak.

"We should have told him about her." Poe settled into the copilot seat next to Luke.

"Not a good idea." Luke's eyes never left the horizon of space. "Too many people already know. The First Order might already know."

"No." Poe shook his head. "They can't. How could they? Rey said she couldn't communicate with him anymore." Silence enveloped them. Then Poe began to understand. "She wouldn't lie."

"I trust her." Luke agreed. "But I have never once underestimated the power of the dark side and I don't intend to. They have ways of knowing things that are still a secret to all of us. And it is valuable information to know."

"So what would they do if they knew? What's the big deal if Rey has a child?" Poe asked aloud what he had been wondering for months.

"It's nothing to do with Rey having a child. If she married Finn and had a child, there would be no problem." Luke explained. "It's the fact that she conceived the child through Kylo Ren, a direct bloodline of Anakin Skywalker and myself. The child will be born into the line of Force-users. Just as easily as Ben Solo was seduced to the dark side, so then can the child be. And I'm sure Lord Snoke would not wait to seduce the child."

"What do you mean?"

"The prophecy." Luke sighed and swallowed hard. Poe waited. "There was a prophecy a few years ago, quite soon before Ben turned. Leia had a vision. She saw the First Order destroyed. She discovered that the bloodline of our family would continue, even though we had all sworn to make sure it would end.

As soon as Ben turned, we assumed that our wishes would be fulfilled. He would never marry and Leia would never reproduce again. And we needn't worry about me. But then Rey came. And I knew from the beginning what her existence meant. She was a danger, a threat to everything Leia and I had worked for. As soon as I felt the awakening in the Force, Leia promised she would try to conceive again so as to fulfill the prophecy with a good child. It was no use. She did not become pregnant and Han was killed before she could continue to try. And when Rey found me, my fears were confirmed. I could see the inner-struggled already fresh in her eyes. And when I saw her after she had come back from his ship, I could see his brand on her, the bruises, the marks. And she was changed, haunted, but most specifically, yearning for a love that she had found but could not find again.

"So the child being born means a continuation of the bloodline." Poe restated. "But so what if the child is a threat? Leia saw the First Order destroyed in the vision."

"Yes, but at what cost? The Force moves in mysterious ways. We cannot chance the child learning the ways of the Force."

"So what do you plan to do? The minute that baby comes there will be a death warrant on its head. Either that or it will be branded by the First Order."

"Exactly. Which is why the child will not continue to have any affiliation with us. We will send it to a family where we know it will be loved and raised well."

"Cause that worked so well with you and Leia. It didn't matter how far you were sent, how unaware of who you were. You found out and were pulled back in." Poe reminded Luke.

"It is the safest thing."

"Rey told me the vision she had." Poe admitted quietly. Luke let out a sharp breath. "She told me she saw the child. Their child. They were together. You don't think that has relevance?"

"It cannot ever happen." Luke stated. "That is final. Kylo Ren can never be trusted. I know Rey sees him in a light that none of us can, but I will not trust him with the child, even if he does ever return to the light. The child will be powerful beyond comprehension."

"But what about Rey? It's her baby."

"What about her?" Luke sighed.

"Doesn't she want to keep it?"

"No."

"What do you mean? She doesn't want it?" Poe couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"She understands what must be done. She didn't want it to happen in the first place and she wants to move on in life with her training and doesn't want to put the child at risk. She cares for it, but she has no love for the mistake she made."

"How do you know this?"

"She told me herself."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"The East Barrier has been broken." An officer announced as Leia scanned maps in the control center. "Their troops are in."

"Are all the women and children accounted for?" Leia thundered.

"Affirmative." The officer replied.

"So it's come to this." Leia put a hand to her forehead. "I never imagined the destruction my son would be capable of."

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"Their ship has been spotted." Phasma reported to Kylo Ren. She came up behind him and watched as his grip tightened on the hilt of his saber. "Snoke was right. He's coming to us."

"I knew he'd come." Kylo muttered.

"How?"

"He still hasn't forgiven himself for letting me turn. And he won't forgive himself until he rights his wrong. He's come to kill me."

"Should I alert border patrol to load ammo?" Phasma offered.

"Negative." Ren shook his head, his helmet crackling his voice. "Take the last ship. They'll need you on the battlefront. I need to fight him alone. I'm letting him come. He shall not be stopped on his way."

"How do you know he comes alone?" Phasma challenged.

"Some things never change. He has pride. He would never ask for help."

"And you're sure that…she…isn't with him?" Phasma whispered as she began to leave the room, the panels now dark, the spaces empty as all the troops and officers had taken ships to aid the attack of the Resistance Base.

"I am sure."

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"We can't just dock!" Finn objected as Luke began to direct the ship to land in the hangar. "They must have seen us by now! We'll be killed before we even get in!"

"Look." Luke instructed. "Who do you see? No one. They're gone."

"What?" Finn's voice faded as he observed the closed doors, the dark windows, the vents closed, the hangar empty.

"But he is still here?" Poe asked quietly.

"Yes."

"How do you know?"

"I feel him." Luke breathed.

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It felt strange to be walking the halls of such an evil place, with no care of being found. Vivid images of Han Solo falling to his death plagued Finn's mind as the three men made their way through the base, cautious of the noise they made in the silent rooms.

"He wouldn't have left himself completely alone." Luke murmured under his breath. As soon as the words left his lips, the sound of multiple footsteps and voices approached. Luke motioned Poe and Finn into the closest room and they dove inside. "Ok," Luke began, "here is where we split up."

"What'll you have us do?" Finn asked.

"Finn, you and I can be a distraction." Poe offered. "We'll take care of the few straggling troops." Poe turned to Luke. "You go find Kylo Ren."

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The echoing of Luke's footsteps was an ominous sound. He had been in this position before. He wasn't ready to see his nephew again. Not like this. Not in all his evil splendor, the peak of his darkness. He didn't want to see the monster he had created. He turned and found himself in the core of the base, the bridge spanning the open chasm of the cooling chamber. He froze. A figure waited out above the chasm. Black robes fluttered in the chilled wind. For a moment Luke almost thought it was his father, the mask so familiar. And then he recognized the tall figure.

"Uncle." A mechanic voice pierced the silence, almost deafening. Luke felt a tugging in his heart. He wanted to run away, yet run towards him at the same time. He wanted to hold the child in his arms and remind him who his family was and what he had been made for. All the good things he had been made for. "I knew you would come."

"So you are the great Kylo Ren." Luke took a few steps forward, nearing the beginning of the bridge. He sensed the surprise in Ben. He hadn't been expecting those words. "I have pondered what you would be like for many years."

"And are you proud of me, Uncle? Look around. The Empire your father started is being perfected. I am continuing the family legacy." He sighed in satisfaction. Luke shook his head in disbelief.

"It was not a legacy. It was a curse."

"You held me back!" Ren exploded. "You were afraid I would become more powerful than you! And you had a right to be afraid! Look at what I've done! I am ten times more powerful than you or Han Solo ever were!"

"Know who you speak to!" Luke bellowed back. "I am your teacher! You owe it all to me!"

"I owe nothing to you!" Kylo cried back. "All the Resistance ever did was shove me away, bundle me into a corner of safety, never pushing, never challenging. I was destined for greatness! I am a force to be reckoned with! And if I had stayed I would have been kicked into dust, walked on and forgotten! A power like mine should not have been neglected like that. That is what Master Snoke says. At least he saw my potential." He took a staggering breath and collected his raw emotions. He was straying from the task at hand. He needed to get rid of the biggest threat to the First Order: Luke Skywalker. "You haven't wielded a light saber in years."

"That is not true." Luke thanked the Force once again for sending him Rey. Because of her, he had had to continue using a saber in order to train with her. "It is an elegant weapon that a Jedi should never forget how to handle."

"You can't fool me, Uncle." Kylo Ren snarled through his helmet. "You don't trust yourself anymore. You haven't touched that weapon in years."

"And that's where you're wrong." Luke drew his old saber out of his robes and saw Kylo's fist clench slightly tighter. "The lightsaber that struck you down, that marred you, that is a living statement of your weakness, is now in my possession." Luke fingered it, prepared to ignite it in an instant.

"Rey." Kylo breathed before he could stop himself. He had forgotten she would give the saber to Luke. Luke's saber. Luke took the moment of distraction to take a flying leap and shorten the distance between them down to only two yards. Kylo drew his saber from his belt in a flash. Luke was impressed.

"Ironic, isn't it? I never thought I'd be fighting with my saber ever again. And here I am, prepared to stop yet another attempt of chaos in the galaxy."

"There's one difference here." Ren growled, ready to ignite, trying to keep his cool. "Darth Vader let Anakin Skywalker in. He let himself hesitate and in that moment everything he had worked for was lost."

"I know. I was there." Luke reminded and ignited his saber. The blue glow bathed the chamber in flickering shadows, but the saber did not threaten in proximity to Kylo Ren.

"I will not hesitate." Kylo promised.

"I taught you never to hesitate." Luke agreed and watched as the anger flared in Kylo's gaze. "Maybe if I had you wouldn't be here." He spoke the words, but did not let them carry his mind away. He stayed focus. If it came to this, it did. He would fight not his nephew, but Kylo Ren for the good of the entire galaxy.

"You are old." Kylo Ren swung wide and Luke responded quickly.

"I have nothing on Master Yoda." Luke reminded and thrust his saber into an open pocket, forcing Kylo to shift onto his back foot to keep the blade away. His brows furrowed in concentration. If it was going to be the hard way, let it be.

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Rey raced down the hallways, feeling as if she might throw up at any moment. She remembered the floors, the smell of the metal walls. It all felt like ages ago she had been here. And the rooms so eerily quiet. All the troops were fighting the Resistance base. And yet she was here, trying to locate her Jedi Master who would be fighting her mortal enemy/lover who was Luke's nephew and Leia's son. She tried to breathe. Her robes were loose and flowing, masking the baby from harm of the eyes. She had no idea why she had come. The closer she got to Kylo Ren, the dizzier she became. She couldn't believe he hadn't felt her presence by now. Even with the baby, she was possibly meters away and he hadn't given any sign he knew she was there.

Her hands instinctively went to her stomach, her fingers curling protectively around the large bump.

"Please, please." She breathed to no one in particular. She gripped her lightsaber with shaking fingers and clammy hands. She was racing through a fog. She didn't know what to feel or what was happening. And then, she heard it. She slowed her pace and slipped out into the core of the base where the ventilation was situated. Red and blue flashed against each other. She gasped quietly. Luke. And…Kylo Ren. She almost fell over. Seeing him again…that night. She couldn't get a breath.

"When will you learn that the light can never be defeated?" Luke grunted as he deflected a swing that Kylo took at him.

"You are no longer my teacher." Kylo Ren spat back. Rey reached out and clutched the railing, her knuckles cracking and her hands going white. She was here. They were there. And she had no idea what to do. And then… "Gah!" Kylo cried out in pain as Luke forced his hand at him, causing his saber to spurt out flames and the heat to singe his face. Rey jumped forward. No. This isn't what she wanted. She hadn't come to help Luke. She hadn't come for the Resistance. She had come for herself. For the baby. She had come for him. With another flick of his saber Luke had Kylo disarmed.

"And now, we will be rid of yet another traitor." Luke breathed as he raised his saber. Kylo bowed his head and fell to his knees, his nightmares real this time. He had failed. And yet, he had known he would all along. This man, this man had been closer to him than his father. And he had left him, turned on him. He was old. He was frail. And he was the most powerful being the Force had ever known. He had taught Kylo everything.

"You will not kill me." Kylo looked up at his uncle and watched the expressions change on Luke's face. "It is not the way of the Jedi."

"You do not know the way of the Jedi." Luke spat back and before Kylo could respond, Luke drove the blade down at Kylo, the power radiating from the saber and illuminating the whole room.

"No!" he heard a shriek of pure terror and felt the heat directed away from him. He looked up. Rey. She was standing between him and Luke, her arm outstretched, hand up, palm flat, holding his saber back, flinching under the power of the Force. She had saved him. "Ah!" she cried and thrust her hand forward, sending Luke's saber clattering over the side of the bridge and down, lost.

"Rey!" Luke shouted in shock. Her spine stretched under the sheer weight of the saber's force and she felt her entire body burning in protest. She couldn't think, couldn't see. She just knew that if she was going to die, she was going to give Kylo his last chance to return to the Light. He had to. It had been her purpose since she was born.

"Ah!" she screamed in pain as her lungs began to cave in. Kylo was startled out of his surprise and grabbed her, hot to the touch, her body smoking, and pulled her away, causing the burn of the saber to collide with his chest and he fell back, his chest glimmering with blood and his breath gone. Rey clattered to the bridge, her cheek slicing open on the grates. She gasped in relief and then pain as she saw Kylo lying motionless. She crawled to him. "No." she sobbed and brushed a hand across his face. "Ben, wake up." She pleaded and watched his eyes crack slowly open. "Do something!" she turned and screamed at Luke. He was watching solemnly.

"Rey." Kylo breathed and reached up to his face and still her hand. She froze. "Why did you come?"

"There is light in you, Kylo Ren." She cried, tears falling from her eyes to his face. "I know there is."

"I believe you." Was all he said. She gasped in surprise and looked back at his chest. The gaping wound went deep and she grimaced. "We have to help him!" she shouted at Luke. "We have to get him back to the base where we can help him."

"Rey," Kylo stopped her, "I won't make it."

"Yes, you have to!" she cried. "You can't die! I won't let you! I saw the dreams! You were there, alive! You saw the child! You cannot die without seeing your child! It is our future!"

"Child?" Kylo's voice rasped in confusion. Rey simply took his hand and placed it carefully over her stomach. Through his faint pulse he felt a radiating power in the base of Rey's stomach, stronger than her or him even. Stronger than anything he had ever felt. It was a thing all of its own, not connected to Rey's DNA which he knew every inch of. He looked back up at her, eyes shining in shock. "Child." He repeated, his world beginning to shift, his voice growing cold as he realized the gravity of the situation.

"You can't die." Rey whispered again in agony.

"Rey," he chided, "why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't believe in the good in you." She faltered slightly and looked down.

"You thought I would…" he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I thought you would." She confirmed and three more fresh tears fell on his chest. He winced at the contact. He could feel himself losing consciousness.

"Promise me one thing." He pleaded, trying to stay lucid to speak.

"What?" she choked.

"Name it Han."

"If it's a girl?" she asked.

"It's a boy." Kylo breathed shakily. "I know. Name it Han and train him. Train him like Luke trained me. And never let him waver, never let him lose sight of the Light. Raise him to defeat Snoke. Raise him to do what I never could. Raise him to be brave. Not like me, but like you. Raise him to finish what Luke started."

"No, you, you can't go." She sobbed.

"Promise me!" he shook her firmly.

"I promise." She whispered. "I promise."

"Master." Ren's voice caught in his throat and Rey spied the blood building in his esophagus. Luke drew closer. "Forgive me." Ren choked out.

"I already have, Padawan." Luke replied quietly. With those words seeming to comfort him, Ben nodded and slowly let his eyes shut. Rey watched him relax and looked back to Luke.

"Please." She begged. "There must be something…."

"Rey, it is his time." Luke knelt next to her.

"Our life…" she whimpered.

"He was born a child of the Light, and as a child of the Light he shall go." Luke stated to the silence with stoicism.

"I love you." She whispered to Ben, running a hand through his hair.

"Scavenger." He heard his voice rasp and a trail of blood ran from his lips. She held a hand to her mouth to keep from crying out in fear. Sobs began to shake her body. "I see my father." He reached for her hand and she felt his pulse slow down. She kissed it gently. "My Scavenger." His muscles tightened as he strained to give her hand a squeeze. She saw his chest rise in one final breath, "I loved you before I laid eyes on you." His muscles collapsed and he gave one final breath and his hand went slack in hers. Luke's face tightened and a single tear fell through the gaps in the bridge and down.

"He is gone." Rey breathed the words aloud.

"He is gone." Luke repeated the words. Rey nodded in acceptance and felt Luke gather in his arms as she suddenly became aware of her injuries. And she broke under this feeling she had never felt before….she was alone. The Force bond was broken. He was gone. She would never hear his voice again. She felt the cry of the baby inside of her as if it too knew. "Ben Solo, son of Han Solo, grandson of Anakin Skywalker, will today join his ancestors in the ranks of powerful Jedis."


	29. Epilogue

Epilogue

Rey watched the boy as he spun in circles, his saber circling him in a wreath of blue. He had picked the color himself the day of his twelfth birthday when Luke offered him his old saber. The boy had taken it greatly.

"He is gifted." Luke observed from the log he sat on outside, also watching the boy.

"He is." Rey agreed peacefully, watching the boy's strokes and steps, moving with grace and skill. "He will become great."

"Like his father." Luke added and Rey believed the words to be true. She no longer had any question in her heart of them.

"Like his father she agreed."

"He will go far."

"As long as he never forgets where he came from." Rey begged to the air.

"Mom!" the word brought her attention back to the boy as he raced across the hills and towards the hut. His dark hair blew in the breeze and she could feel his deep gaze from across the grass. Those eyes. She forever had those eyes. She was not alone. She had him still.

"Dinner is ready." Leia appeared in the doorway.

"He is coming." Rey nodded and helped Luke to his feet. "I'll go meet him." Rey decided and walked out into the hills a ways as the boy ran to meet her.

"Mom!" he called as he reached her and she pulled him in closer to her, so she could feel his heartbeat. It was so like his father's.

"You are a skilled Padawan." She told him with pride. "But that is no excuse to be prideful." She added cautiously.

"A Jedi is one of the people, and fights for the people." The boy repeated the words sincerely. She nodded her approval.

"Luke is very wise to teach you such things." Rey smiled softly and ran a hand through the boy's hair gently. He softened to her touch. "Dinner is ready."

"Do you think Dad would be proud if he could see me?" the boy asked suddenly, causing Rey to freeze and look at him quietly. She pondered for a moment, then knelt so she was face level with him.

"He can see you, of that I am sure." She promised. "Han, my boy, he watches with pride, just as a father should. He is with you always. Just as he is with me. So we are never alone." She breathed in the words as she said them. Never alone. He had not left her alone. He had left Han with her, a living embodiment of everything he was, the good and bad.

"Han!" Leia called from the hut and the boy looked up and began to run towards the hut. Rey smiled fondly after him, but paused to look out at the few of the sea from the hills she had trained on so many years ago.

"You have not left me alone." She whispered to the wind.

"A bond like ours, Scavenger, can never be broken." The wind whispered back and she felt the words sink through her skin and into her bones. She relished in the words. Even through death, a bond like theirs would never break. They would forever be a part of each other and for once she would not have to scavenge to keep what she sought.


End file.
